Josephine Baker was known as one of the first global black superstars.
In Josephine Baker: The Story of An Awakening, the documentary looks into the life of the iconic artist, human rights activist, and spy hero.
For decades, she was one of the most successful African-American performers in French history. Oftentimes, she headlined the revues of Folies Bergere in Paris and became a status symbol of the Jazz Age and the 1920s. Her performances were well known with her nude erotic dancing and “Danse Suavage” by wearing a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas. Later, she starred in the silent film Siren of the Tropics, Zouzou, Princesse Tam Tam, and Fausse Alerte.
During World War II, she became a spy for the Allies by aiding the French Resistance. After the war, the French military awarded the Croix de guerre and also named a Chevalier of the Legion d’honneur by General Charles de Gaulle.
Afterward, she became a civil rights leader when she made a few trips back to America. During the famous March in Washington with Martin Luther King, she was the only woman who spoke on stage. After King’s assassination, Coretta Scott King asked Baker in the Netherlands to take her husband’s place as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Upon careful consideration, Baker declined by citing that her children were “too young to lose her mother.”
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French filmmaker Ilana Navaro (La Case de l’Oncle Doc, Toutes Les Teles Du Monde) directed the documentary.
Josephine Baker: Story of An Awakening premieres on Cinemoi on October 29 at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST. Cinemoi Network curated programming is available on Apple TV, Sling TV, Comcast Xfinity, Verizon FiOS, Frontier, Google Play, and Samsung devices.
Check out the trailer below. Let us know what you think.
Source: Cinemoi Network
