Michelle Obama is getting the documentary treatment. The former First Lady and author is the focus of the new film Becoming, which tracks the period of change in her life following her husband Barack Obama‘s presidency. Named after her best-selling memoir released in 2018, the events on camera are an intimate portrayal of Obama during her 34-city book tour, meeting and sharing stories with communities across the country. Nadia Hallgren (She’s the Ticket, After Maria) directs.
Here’s what to know about the project.
IT PREMIERES ON 6 MAY ON NETFLIX
This Netflix original arrives on the platform on Wednesday, 6 May, just under two weeks after it was announced. Like most programmes on the streamer, we can expect Becoming to launch at around 7am (GMT).
A PREVIEW SHOWS MICHELLE OBAMA BONDING WITH A GROUP OF BRIGHT YOUNG GIRLS
One of the stops on the former First Lady’s book tour saw her meeting with a group of inquisitive girls who asked her about her life post–White House. “It’s not getting back on track, but it’s creating my next track,” she tells her guests, referring to her transition out of her career as FLOTUS, in Netflix’s first look of the doc. Watch the full clip above.
IT’S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR TWO YEARS
Director Nadia Hallgren first met with Michelle in 2018, soon after Higher Ground Productions, Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company, first launched.
“I had 30 minutes with her. I was told—if you connect with each other, you have the job. No pressure,” Hallgren recalled in a statement. “We just started to talk about ourselves. I’m from the South Bronx, she’s from the South Side. We both understood the neighbourhood pride. We talked about where we came from, how it shaped who we are and, of course, we talked about our mothers. After 30 minutes, she said, ‘Let’s do this.'”
MICHELLE OBAMA HAS SOME LOVING WORDS ABOUT THE PROJECT
The former FLOTUS herself responded to the news on Instagram. “Those months I spent traveling—meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe—drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep and real and can’t be messed with,” she wrote in part of her post. “In groups large and small, young and old, unique and united, we came together and shared stories, filling those spaces with our joys, worries, and dreams. We processed the past and imagined a better future. In talking about the idea of ‘becoming,’ many of us dared to say our hopes out loud. I treasure the memories and that sense of connection now more than ever, as we struggle together to weather this pandemic, as we care for our loved ones, and cope with loss, confusion, and uncertainty.”
This article originally appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR UK.
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