Jukedocs: Curated by Niko Stratis, this monthly series features music docs—from beloved classics to cult favourites—that expand beyond the boundaries of songs and their creators.
“How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?” On stage, Nina Simone was known for her utterly free and unique musical expression, which enthralled and attracted life-long fans. But amid the violent day-to-day of the civil rights era, Simone struggled to reconcile her artistic identity and ambition with her devotion to the movement. Combining archival footage and revelatory interviews, Hot Docs 2015 hit What Happened, Miss Simone? unveils the ego of a brilliant artist and the absurdities of her time—from singing “I Loves You Porgy” on Hugh Hefner’s Playboy’s Penthouse to “Mississippi Goddamn” to Selma marchers in 1965. At the height of her fame, Simone walked away from everything to move to Liberia and give up performing. What happened? But more importantly, what has changed? As we see the concerns of the 1960s resurge today, Simone challenges us to confront a lesson that was perhaps left unlearned.
In English and French, with English subtitles.
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