A Netflix Original Documentary featuring the original song, “Never Break” from John Legend, and winner of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Favorite Award
The words of August Wilson are brought to life by a new generation in GIVING VOICE, following students in an annual monologue competition inspired by America’s preeminent playwright. Appearances by Viola Davis and Denzel Washington.
A Netflix Original Documentary Film featuring the original song, “Never Break” from John Legend, and winner of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Favorite Award
On Netflix: December 11, 2020
Directed by: Jim Stern and Fernando Villena
Executive Producers: Viola Davis, John Legend, Julius Tennon, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius, Dan Cogan, Jenny Raskin, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Gretchen Stockdale, Nicholas Caprio and Constanza Romero
Synopsis: A new generation of performers is discovered in “Giving Voice,” which follows the emotional journey of six students as they advance through the high-stakes August Wilson Monologue Competition, an event which celebrates one of America’s preeminent playwrights. Every year, thousands of students from twelve cities across the United States perform the Pulitzer Prize winner’s work (“Fences,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) for a shot to perform on Broadway. Directors Jim Stern and Fernando Villena capture students discovering themselves and the world around them through Wilson’s “Century Cycle,” a canon of ten plays portraying the 20th century African American experience. Executive producer Viola Davis, along with “Fences” co-star Denzel Washington, share the impact that Wilson’s timeless artistry and legacy has had on their careers and their hopes for the young people carrying it forward.
More information: netflix.com/givingvoice
