Maya Angelou And Still I Rise

US, Feature Documentary, 2016, 114 min

Maya Angelou has a brutal childhood in Arkansas. She grows up, becomes a singer and dancer, but is rejected as an opening act for Pearl Bailey because she is “too ugly.” She becomes an intimate friend of Malcolm X and an early activist in the civil rights movement, but when she becomes a writer, Maya blossoms. She introduces the ancient visions and rhythms of Africa to the American poetry canon and becomes the best-selling American poet of the century. Dr. Maya Angelou’s powerful, elegant voice narrates this unforgettable film. “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies. You may trod me in the very dirt. But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” This film is a chilling masterpiece.

Directed by Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack