{"id":73237,"date":"2015-09-10T15:02:56","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T15:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2015\/09\/10\/zoe-saldanas-nina-simone-biopic-nina-film-to-hit-theaters-in-december\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T03:39:07","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T03:39:07","slug":"zoe-saldanas-nina-simone-biopic-nina-film-to-hit-theaters-in-december","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/zoe-saldanas-nina-simone-biopic-nina-film-to-hit-theaters-in-december\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoe Saldana’s Nina Simone Biopic, \u2018Nina,\u2019 Film To Hit Theaters In December"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zoe Saldana’s Nina Simone Biopic, \u2018Nina,\u2019 Film To Hit Theaters In December<\/strong>Posted by Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

September 10, 2015<\/p>\n

Source: Variety<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Variety<\/a>, RLJ Entertainment has acquired all North American rights to \u201cNina,\u201d starring Zoe Saldana as American singer-songwriter Nina Simone. The company will also released the film in theaters this December.<\/p>\n

Directed and written by Cynthia Mort<\/strong>, NINA\u00a0traces\u00a0the career of legendary American singer-songwriter and civil rights activist,\u00a0Nina Simone (Saldana).\u00a0The story follows her struggle to balance music, family\u00a0and what she believes in, which leaves her living alone in\u00a0France feeling exiled\u00a0from her own country. That is, until she meets Clifton Henderson (David Oyelowo) who\u00a0helps the\u00a0high priestess of soul rediscover meaning in her life and music, and\u00a0to once again embrace America.\u00a0NINA\u00a0reflects\u00a0both her and the people she gave voice to in both their search for redemption\u00a0and hope in America during the\u00a01960\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Also cast in the film are Mike Epps<\/strong> as Richard Pryor in a supporting role and Broadway actor Kevin Mambo<\/strong> as Gille, a French guitarist and a member of Simone\u2019s band. Pryor opened for the singer when they two were starting out in the early 1960s. Pryor had terrible stage fright and Simone, in her autobiography, recalled how she regularly rocked him into calmness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

RLJ Chairman Robert L. Johnson, who founded BET network, said he had a deep affinity for Simone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the special privilege early in my career of working with Ms. Simone while coordinating a performance for former D.C. Delegate Walter E. Fauntroy, and knowing first-hand of her major contribution to the soul and emotion of the Civil Rights Movement,\u201d he said. \u201cI look forward as I am sure many others will, to her story and legacy being made available by RLJ Entertainment to consumers on various media platforms in the coming months.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Nina<\/a><\/p>\n

NINA\u00a0was produced by Barnaby Thompson (The Importance of Being\u00a0Earnest), Ben Latham-Jones (Kids in Love),\u00a0Stuart\u00a0Parr (Get Rich or Die Tryin\u2019) and Cynthia Mort\u00a0(The Brave One) and executive produced by\u00a0Pierre Lagrange\u00a0(Kick-Ass), Allison Sarofim (Lake City), Aigerim Jakisheva (Kids in Love),\u00a0Zoe Saldana, David Oyelowo, James\u00a0Spring (Burke and Hare),\u00a0Gene Kirkwood (Rocky), Lauren Lloyd (Cellular) and Paul Rosenberg (Southpaw).<\/p>\n

Just about every outlet has had their say on whether Saldana’s casting was the best choice. In fact, there’s a lawsuit filed by director Cynthia Mort claiming its British production company has hijacked the film<\/a>. In a 2014 issue of Monarch Magazine<\/a>, Ms. Saldana addresses the issues that has raised questions on her casting.<\/p>\n

Here are some highlights regarding the Nina Simone film:<\/p>\n

Playing the late, great Nina Simone, what inspired you to do a project like this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Zoe<\/a>Zoe Saldana:<\/strong> Nina was a true genius and an iconic artist. It was a dream job for me. It\u2019s one of the scariest projects I\u2019ve ever been involved with because it was about an iconic figure, and there were so many political [issues] around it from the beginning; but I really wanted it to be a love song to Nina Simone and I wanted it to just come from a place of absolute love. I loved the complexity of Nina and her beauty that she expressed with her music. I wanted to do right by her and knew it would be challenging. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing opportunity to play a true legend.<\/p>\n

How did you prepare for the role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

ZS:<\/strong> I did a lot of research to prepare for Nina. I took piano lessons, voice lessons, worked with a dialect coach, and I really invested months of just doing research about Nina \u2013 her background, her story, her life. My research ranged from reading books about Nina, listening to her music, watching footage of her.
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\nHow did the controversy about you playing Nina affect you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Zoe<\/a>ZS: <\/strong>The Nina Simone story needed to be told, and I\u2019m really blessed that I did it. I\u2019m human. I wish I was made of steel and so certain things wouldn\u2019t affect me. So it did affect me but I couldn\u2019t let that deter me from doing what I needed to do. Just like everybody else I feel very strongly about Nina Simone, and that [this] was a story that needed to be told. I do believe that if everybody had more information about how this all came to be, it might help; but then again, I\u2019m not here to get the acceptance of everyone \u2013 I\u2019m here to be an artist first. Hopefully people will enjoy the film and I helped shed some light on this amazing iconic.<\/p>\n

Do you feel like your heritage and ethnicity is always questioned?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Zoe<\/a>ZS: <\/strong>I find it uncomfortable to have to speak about my identity all of the time, when in reality it\u2019s not something that drives me or wakes me up out of bed every day. I didn\u2019t grow up in a household where I was categorized by my mother. I was just Zoe and I could have and be anything that I ever wanted to do \u2026 and every human being is the same as you. So to all of a sudden leave your household and have people always ask you, \u201cWhat are you? What are you?\u201d is the most uncomfortable question sometimes and it\u2019s literally the most repetitive question. Because I can\u2019t wait to be in a world where people are sized by their soul and how much they can contribute as individuals and not what they look like \u2026 I feel like as a race, that\u2019s a minute problem against the problems we face just as women versus men, in a world that\u2019s more geared and designed to cater towards the male species.<\/p>\n

The full interview can be read here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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