Doucouré will write and direct the feature about the late American performer and civil rights activist, who became an entertainment icon in France.
Performing in her trademark banana skirt, or shimmering sequins, Baker became the darling of Parisian society and a symbol of the Jazz Age. She was also a pioneering figure in cinema, becoming the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture —the 1927 silent movieTaking on French citizenship, Baker devoted herself to her adopted country, even joining the French Resistance during World War II.
Last year, she became the first Black woman to be inducted into the Pantheon in Paris, France’s highest posthumous honor. In a statement, Baker’s family called her a “universal artist, woman and mother. We are honored to partner with Studiocanal and collaborate with Maïmouna on this feature film about the incredible and humanist achievements of our mother. Yes she could. And she did. Thank you Mum!”
Doucouré said it was a “huge honour and also a beautiful challenge” to tell Baker’s story on film. “To think that through fiction I can tell her great and profoundly rich story, her beauty, her fights, her wounds and her humanity. I can’t wait to breathe new life into this incredible legend on screen.”, Doucouré’s well-received 2020 debut, premiered at Sundance, where it won her the best director prize for the World Cinema dramatic section.
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