In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2022, The Astoria International Film Festival presents the Netflix biopic of the legendary jazz pianist and singer, Nina Simone. Sponsored by the Oregon Film Museum.

On stage Nina Simone was known for her utterly free, uninhibited musical expression, which enthralled audiences and attracted life-long fans. But amid the violent, haunting, and senseless day-to-day of the civil rights era in 1960s America, Simone struggled to reconcile her artistic identity and ambition with her devotion to a movement. Culled from hours of autobiographical tapes, this new film unveils the unmitigated ego of a brilliant artist and the absurdities of her time. At the height of her fame Simone walked away from her family, country, career and fans, to move to Liberia and give up performing. The story of her life leading up to that event poses the question, ‘how does royalty stomp around in the mud and still walk with grace?’ 

Directors: Liz Garbus
Production year: 2015
Runtime: 101 minutes
Rating: Not Rated

This special presentation will be held on Sunday, January 16, 2022 at the Liberty Theatre in Astoria, Oregon at 1:00pm. You can purchase tickets online now – Click Here.