John Legend To Pay Musical Tribute to Recording Legend Nina Simone At SundancePosted by Wilson Morales
January 20, 2015
Netflix is pleased to announce that Oscar-nominated and nine-time Grammy-winning musician John Legend will pay special tribute to musical icon Nina Simone with a performance following the screening of WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus’ epic documentary portrait of the legendary recording artist and civil rights activist will receive its world premiere as an Opening Night presentation of the festival at 5:45pm on Thursday, January 22 at the Eccles Theatre.
Singer and pianist John Legend is one of many contemporary musicians who have been inspired by Nina Simone’s genre-defying musical genius and legacy as a champion of social justice. In what promises to be one of the highlights of the festival, he will perform a selection of some of Nina’s most memorable songs on stage at the Eccles following the film’s presentation.
“In the sixties, when Nina Simone had her political education, music was inextricably intertwined with the movement for civil rights,” said director Liz Garbus. “Today, John Legend is one of the few artists carrying that torch — his passionate commitment to social justice, education and human rights is rare and inspirational. I’m thrilled that Legend will be here to represent Nina’s spirit and help carry the message and beauty of her music to a new generation.”
The Netflix original documentary WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? is produced by Netflix and RadicalMedia in association with Moxie Firecracker. The film will premiere exclusively in all territories where Netflix is available in 2015.
Here’s the first clip from the film.
