A documentary focused on renowned poet Nikki Giovanni, an emeritus professor in the Department of English at Virginia Tech, has been acquired by HBO and may be in Oscar contention.
The “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovannia Project” film was recently awarded the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, one of the largest independent film competitions in the United States.
Directed by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster of Rada Studio, the film was one of 12 screened at the film festival.
“Going to Mars” will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2024. To help the film qualify for the Oscars, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” will also be screened in theaters this fall.
The documentary dives deep into the life of Giovanni. Rising to prominence in the 1960s, Giovanni’s writings and television appearances have left a lasting mark on American culture. The film blends intimate candid realism, live poetry readings, and archival footage to portray Giovanni’s influence as both an artist and a social activist. It also touches upon her personal challenges, including her experiences with seizures and memory loss.
“Nikki Giovanni is an important icon in the Black American community,” said Stephenson. “She embodies the spirit of creating provocative counternarratives that have impacted and inspired the Black diaspora over decades.
“Telling her story is an integral part of our artistic vision and mission at Rada Studio. Engaging with and celebrating the complexity of Black humanity is what we do. Nikki’s ability to challenge conventional norms of how we see the world and ourselves is exceptional.”
The documentary is a result of a collaboration between Confluential Films and Rada Studio.
With the backing of notable figures such as Taraji P. Henson, who voices Giovanni’s poetry and serves as an executive producer, the film has garnered significant attention. It also was screened in the spotlight section of the 61st New York Film Festival in September.
“I hope audiences are challenged by this film to create their own future based on our collective history,” Brewster said. “And that’s a different form of Afrofuturism. For me, it’s very exciting to birth this ‘baby’ that basically says the history is not what you think it is. And you can question that. There is no contradiction in what she’s saying. What is Afrofuturism? It’s defined literally as a conversation between the Black past and the Black future; that’s what Nikki does.”
Giovanni gives Virginia Fowler, also emeritus professor in the Department of English at Virginia Tech, credit for encouraging her to undertake this project and helping with the logistics involved in the production. Fowler is also a co- producer of the film.
“Ginney played a significant role. She knew my work and history well, so she made suggestions on what to include, like pieces from my time at the Apollo Theater,” Giovanni said. “It was a collaborative effort.”
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Crystal Graham
