TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM

PAST FILM SCREENING

January 8 – 2PM + 7:30PM

USA, 2019 – Rated: PG – 119 minutes
English
Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
Participants: Toni Morrison, Oprah Winfrey, Russell Banks, Angela Davis, Robert Gottlieb and Sonia Sanchez

Celebrated American author Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993. It is just one of the many tributes to this celebrated story teller who died in August. But this and the Pulitzer in 1988 are the culminations of observing the intimate details of living which she began as a child.

Her early efforts chronicling Black life (The Bluest Eye, Sula) drew withering criticism from established critics. She was too provincial, too wedded to her community. Early interviews in this documentary show her challenging why “whiteness” should be the norm for assessing literature.

Later she becomes an Editor at Random House and champions writers of colour…there’s a new gatekeeper who is enriching the American experience.

Her life is revealed in a series of well-crafted and engaging anecdotes; stories which are amplified by a large cast of her friends and supporters.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is a portrait of a complex artist with a critical eye on human conduct and history.

“This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, America and the human condition.”
—Rotten Tomatoes