Going to Mars
Feature length film In Production 2018
Director
Michele Stephenson & Joe Brewster
Doc Society helped with
Production
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project pushes the boundaries of biographical documentary storytelling to reveal the enduring influence of one of America’s greatest living artists and social commentators. Combining parallel cinematic story editing with visually innovative treatments of her poetry, along with intimate vérité, rich archival footage, and in Giovanni’s own voice and captivating contemporary performances, Going to Mars recounts the story of the artist and activist and the tumultuous historical periods in which she lived—from the Civil Rights Movement, to the Black Arts Movement, to present-day Black Lives Matter.
Crew
Here are two Black queer icons, both standing at the precipice of life’s intersections... They may spar with their intellect might, but they also take boundless care of each other. The resulting dance is breathtaking.
Autostraddle
Jan. 15, 2024
Nikki Giovanni is so cool... Just being in her presence is more than enough.
RogerEbert.com
Dec. 3, 2023
The documentary offers only what the poet is willing to give. And Giovanni is a challenging subject: She has firm boundaries, and there are questions she refuses to answer.
New York Times
Nov. 2, 2023
The Nikki Giovanni Project breaks the traditional documentary format and presents a raw, sensitive, and lyrical portrait of its subject.
Chicago Reader
March 14, 2023
Everything the directors do supports and surrounds Giovanni with the tools she needs to tell her life story. A portrait painted in words that are as evocative as those in any Toni Morrison or Bernice McFadden novel.
DwightBrownInk.com
Dec. 3, 2023
What makes this portrait of Nikki Giovanni so special is it makes her contradictions, her elusiveness, her boundaries, part of the film itself.
Autostraddle
Jan. 30, 2023
An enjoyably impressionistic bio-doc.
The Hollywood Reporter
Jan. 27, 2023
The bold resistance that makes Giovanni an engaging subject, ironically renders her cinematically enigmatic too.
indieWire
Jan. 20, 2023
