Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Intimate images, archival material, and innovative interpretations of Nikki Giovanni’s poetry come together in a film that transcends the traditional biography. A journey through time and space reveals the enduring impact of one of America’s most outstanding living artists and social commentators.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival. This captivating documentary portrait follows poet and activist Nikki Giovanni as she approaches her 80th birthday. The film explores her Afrofuturist-feminist philosophy of life, her moving relationship with family, political courage, and poetic eloquence, all woven together with exceptional sensitivity to rhythm, aesthetics, and her unique voice.
Reflecting on her own life and a history marked by the shadow of American racism, while also looking toward a future full of hope and possibility, Giovanni becomes both guide and narrator. Filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson forego a traditional chronological structure and standard interviews in favor of a fresh, poetic approach. Going to Mars is driven by relentless intellectual engagement and radical imagination, seeking emotional and political fulfillment in a world of exclusion.
Michèle Stephenson
An Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, artist, and author who draws on her Haitian and Panamanian roots to reimagine non-fiction storytelling through the lens of the African diaspora. Her work, showcased at Sundance, Tribeca, and internationally, includes Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Emmy Award) and Black Girls Play (Tribeca Best Short Doc, Edward R. Murrow Award). Previous films include American Promise (Sundance Jury Prize, three Emmy nominations) and Stateless (Canadian Screen Award nomination). A Guggenheim and Creative Capital Fellow, she is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Joe Brewster
An Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and Harvard-trained psychiatrist whose work explores pressing social issues through film and immersive media. His documentary American Promise won the Sundance Jury Prize and earned three Emmy nominations, while Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (2023 Sundance Grand Jury Prize) was Oscar-shortlisted and won an Emmy for Outstanding Documentary. He also co-directed Black Girls Play (Oscar-shortlisted, Tribeca Best Short Doc) and the VR project The Changing Same (Tribeca Grand Jury Prize). Brewster is a Guggenheim Fellow and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Director: Michèle Stephenson & Joe Brewster
Producer(s): Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, Tommy Oliver
Language: English
Subtitles: Polish, English
