CINÉMOI President, Daphna Edwards Ziman, says, “Josephine Baker is a hero. We all must salute her as a human rights activist as well as a global star.” 

World-renowned performer, World War II spy, and activist are a few of the titles used to describe Josephine Baker, one of the most successful African American performers in French history. Viewers of the film will witness how Baker went from being a poor little black girl from Missouri to becoming the Queen of Paris, before joining the French Resistance and finally creating her dream family “The Rainbow Tribe”, adopting twelve children from the four corners of the world. 

Josephine Baker made three trips “back home” (1936, 1948, 1951), and each time she experienced everyday racism, despite her worldwide fame. Each tragic experience triggered her life-changing decisions. Gradually the battle for Civil Rights became her own, up until 1963, when she was the only woman who spoke on stage besides Martin Luther King during the famous March in Washington. From then on, she used her fame to serve her political utopia until the end of her life. This is the journey of a superstar’s awakening from the “banana dancer” to a humanist fighter. But can fame change the world? 

Find out at the screening of “Josephine Baker: The Story of An Awakening” on CINÉMOI! Thursday, October 29th at  7 PM PST / 10 PM EST.

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