Netflix is working with RadicalMedia on a new documentary looking at the life and career of singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone.
The singer, who died in 2003, has a legion of fans all around the world.
Her music has been featured in numerous films and TV shows, most famously the 1999 The Thomas Crown Affair remake which featured her iconic Sinner Man.
The Netflix film uses never-before-heard audiotapes, recorded over the course of three decades, of Simone telling her life story to various interviewers and would-be biographers.
From over 100 hours of these recordings, What Happened, Miss Simone? weaves together Nina’s narrative, told largely in her own words.
It also features rare concert footage and archival interviews, along with diaries, letters, interviews with Simone’s daughter, friends and collaborators.
The film will premiere exclusively in all territories where Netflix is available in 2015.
“In What Happened, Miss Simone?, Liz Garbus paints a brave and provocative picture of Nina Simone – artist, civil rights activist and heroine – in a film that we’ve loved from day one and are proud to bring to our viewers around the world.” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentary Programming.”
“I’m thrilled that Netflix has embraced the incredible story of Nina Simone and partnered with RadicalMedia on this film,” said director Liz Garbus.
“For each of her millions of fans, Nina feels like a treasured secret. With What Happened, Miss Simone?, I’m excited to help bring her passion, her music, and her story to the world.”
