While the start of the Oscar race has already started with Venice and Telluride having displayed some hopeful contenders, it’s the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (aka TIFF) where a boatload of films will be shown to determine who will be among the qualified before critics groups and voters narrow down the many to few in 2023.

Films like The Fabelmans, The Whale, The Son, The Woman King, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and other big profiled films will have its audience rooting for a good response.

In terms of Black talent and films, there ‘s a great deal of directors (22) coming, including Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tyler Perry, Sanaa Lathan, Tim Story, Nikyatu Jusu, Reginald Hudlin, Alice Diop, Clement Virgo, Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, Stephen Williams, JD Dillard, Angela Wanjiku Wamai, Elegance Bratton, Maïmouna Doucouré, Biyi Bandele, Hubert Davis, Miles Warren, Cédric Ido, Sacha Jenkins, Allen Hughes, Sam Soko and Jordan Peele.

With these films come a bevy of talent. From The Woman King, A Jazzman’s Blues, On The Come Up, and The Blackening, there’s good number of undiscovered talent about to be displayed when their films premiere at the festival.

Besides films that are from Black directors, there’s also a certain amount of movies that have Black talent in prominent roles. Michael Ward is getting buzz for his performance opposite Olivia Coleman in Sam Mendes’Empire of Light. Rumor has it that Janelle Monae goes toe-to-toe with Daniel Craig in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Sequel.

Here’s a good selection of 2022 TIFF directed by, starring and featuring Black in prominent roles. The synopsis comes from the TIFF guide.

Gala Presentation

The Woman King

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood from a script written by Dana Stevens, the film stars Oscar winner Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Adrienne Warren, Sheila Atim, Jayme Lawson, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Masali Baduza, Angélique Kidjo, Jimmy Odukoya, Thando Dlomo, Jordan Bolger, Zozibini Tunzi, Makgotso M and Siv Ngesi.

Davis stars in the film as Nanisca, the general of the real all-female military unit known as the Agojie (also known as Amazons) in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin) in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The story is inspired by true events and follows Nanisca and Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), an ambitious recruit, as they fight enemies who have enslaved their people and violated their honor. The unit is the inspiration behind the Dora Milaje in “Black Panther,” and its story has never been told on screen before.

A JAZZMAN’S BLUES

Written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. The cast includes Joshua Boone, Amirah Vann, Solea Pfeiffer, Austin Scott, Milauna Jemai Jackson, Brent Antonello, Brad Benedict, Kario Marcel, Lana Young and Ryan Eggold.

A sweeping tale of forbidden love, A JAZZMAN'S BLUES unspools forty years of secrets and lies soundtracked by juke joint blues in the deep South.

In 1987, a stack of letters is delivered to a state attorney general, possible evidence in the long-unsolved murder case of Bayou (Joshua Boone). Leap back to 1947 Georgia, where Bayou first meets Leanne (Solea Pfieffer). They fall in love, but Leanne’s relatives forbid the relationship, and the couple are torn apart. When they meet again years later, Bayou has become a song-and-dance sensation and Leanne has married another man — and is passing as white. Their desire for each other reignited, they conspire to escape together, but dangerous secrets from their past threaten to destroy their relationship permanently.

The film features an original song performed by Ruth B., songs arranged and produced by multi-Grammy winner & two-time Academy Award nominee Terence Blanchard, music by Aaron Zigman and choreography by Debbie Allen.

SIDNEY

From producer Oprah Winfrey and directed by Academy Award nominee Reginald Hudlin, this revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier and his legacy as an iconic actor, filmmaker and activist at the center of Hollywood and the Civil Rights Movement. Featuring candid interviews with Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Robert Redford, Lenny Kravitz, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee and many more, the film is also produced by Derik Murray, in close collaboration with the Poitier family.

Produced by Oprah Winfrey, and hailing from Harpo Productions and Network Entertainment, the documentary is directed by Reginald Hudlin and written by Jesse James Miller. Derik Murray also serves as producer. Terry Wood, Catherine Cyr, Brian Gersh, Paul Gertz, Reginald Hudlin, Joanna Shimkus Poitier, Anika Poitier and Barry Krost executive produce.

BLACK ICE

This incisive, urgent documentary examines the role of Black players in Canadian hockey, from pre-NHL contributions to the game to the struggles against racism that continue to this day. Directed by Oscar nominee Hubert Davis (Hardwood) and executive produced by LeBron James, Drake, and Maverick Carter, Black Ice is a sobering survey of systemic marginalization within one of the world’s most beloved team sports.

Davis brings together an incredible roster of players to offer insight and testimony — women and men from both major and minor leagues, including Akim Aliu, Saroya Tinker, Mark Connors, and Wayne Simmonds. Their stories are eye-opening and often painful, but their bravery in sharing their stories, along with their faith in the fundamental beauty and excitement of hockey, infuse Black Ice with a galvanizing sense of hope for a more inclusive future.

ALICE, DARLING

Directed by Mary Nighy, the film stars Anna Kendrick, Kaniethiio Horn, Wunmi Mosaku, Charlie Carrick

Alice (Anna Kendrick) is an anxious person and no one is sure why. When she’s invited on a cottage trip to celebrate her friend’s birthday, she feels like she has to lie to her charming and successful boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick), telling him that it’s a very important business trip.

Her longtime friends, played by Kaniehtiio Horn (Letterkenny) and Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) want Alice to enjoy their time together, but she just doesn’t seem present. With Simon continuously texting her, it becomes clear that she’s being closely monitored by him and her phone turns into an overbearing conduit for emotional abuse. Once they realize what’s happening, Alice’s friends try to convince her that her relationship isn’t normal, but she continues to doubt herself, constantly modulating where she goes or what she eats, unable to disconnect from Simon, even though she knows she’s unhappy. As the weekend progresses, not only their friendship hangs in the balance, but also Alice’s safety. The women become entangled in a psychological tug-of-war with Simon, who continues his attempts at excising Alice from those closest to her.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

On THE COME UP

Based on the New York Times’ #1 best-selling novel by Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), ON THE COME UP is the feature directorial debut of Emmy-nominated actress Sanaa Lathan and will also hold its World Premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The film will exclusively premiere on the service on Friday, Sept. 23 in the U.S., Canada, Italy, and later in the year in additional international territories.

Starring newcomer Jamila C. Gray, ON THE COME UP is the story of Bri, a 16-year-old gifted rapper, who attempts to take the battle rap scene by storm in order to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father – a local hip hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence. But when her first hit song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she finds herself torn between the authenticity that got her this far and the false persona that the industry wants to impose upon her.

The coming-of-age film also stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Lil Yachty, Mike Epps, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Justin Martin, Titus Makin, Michael Cooper Jr., GaTa, Sanaa Lathan and Cliff “Method Man” Smith.

ON THE COME UP, a State Street Pictures and Temple Hill production, is directed by Sanaa Lathan, with screenplay by Kay Oyegun. The film is produced by George Tillman, Jr., Robert Teitel, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner, Angie Thomas and Timothy M. Bourne and executive produced by John Fischer.

DEVOTION

Directed by JD Dillard from a screenplay written by Jake Crane and Jonathan A. Stewart with revisions by Dillard and based on the book by Adam Makos. The cast includes Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell, Christina Jackson, Joe Jonas, Thomas Sadoski, and Serinda Swan.

The film is an aerial war epic based on the bestselling book of the same name and hits theaters on Nov. 23

Set in 1950, as the Cold War looms, Majors and Powell play Jesse L. Brown and Tom Hudner, elite U.S. Navy fighter pilots who form a firm friendship that is tested on the battlefield when one of them is shot down behind enemy lines. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.

NANNY

Nanny is the haunting and award-winning debut feature from writer/director Nikyatu Jusu, starring Anna Diop (US), Michelle Monaghan (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Sinqua Walls (American Soul), Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age), Rose Decker (Mare of Easttown) and Leslie Uggams (Deadpool).

It’s the first horror film to win the Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Grand Gury Prize and only the second time this honor has been bestowed upon a Black female director. At its core, Nanny is a genre-bending film that blends psychological horror with culturally relevant issues of social identity, including race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Set in New York City, this fable of a Senegalese immigrant’s experience working for an affluent family is grounded in the real life experiences of domestic workers. The story is personal to Nikyatu Jusu’s upbringing, whose mother sustained her household with this occupation. Jusu incorporated spiritual genre elements that spoke to her lineage.

BROTHER

Directed and adapted for the screen by Clement Virgo from David Chariandy’s prize-winning novel of the same name, Brother stars Lamar Johnson (The Hate U Give), Aaron Pierre (Underground Railroad), Kiana Madeira (Fear Street), Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us), and Lovell Adams-Gray (Power Book II: Ghost).

Lamar Johnson and Aaron Pierre play the inseparable Jamaican-Canadian brothers Michael and Francis. Every night, before leaving for work, their mother (Marsha Stephanie Blake) gives them strict instructions to stay indoors and keep the TV off, but the two inevitably become entangled in what’s going on outside, both in person and through nightly news reports. Michael, a timid teenager, is always protected by the slightly older Francis, who, in their father’s absence, steps up to be his mentor.

Ten years later, Francis is gone and Michael, unmoored, struggles to take care of his mother, who is now incapacitated by grief. The film slowly pieces together their tragedy, jumping back and forth through time to capture its weight, and to track how a mother’s painstaking efforts to protect her children can only extend so far.

CHEVALIAR

Directed by Stephen Williams from a screenplay by Stephani Robinson, Kelvin Harrison Jr. stars in this historical drama, inspired by the true story of composer Joseph Bologne. The cast also includes Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Ronke Adekolujoe, Marton Csokas, Alex Fitzalan, and Minnie Driver.

Chevalier opens with an audacious bang, as Joseph Bologne (Harrison) interrupts a Paris concert conducted by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and makes a dramatic impression on the preening genius and his fancy, 18th-century audience. From there we watch as Bologne, propelled by talent, ambition, and a drive to surmount the racist barriers all around him, climbs his way up from outcast to a place in Marie Antoinette’s inner circle. Born in Guadeloupe as the illegitimate son of an enslaved African and a white French aristocrat, Bologne grew up in Paris as a privileged but stigmatized son. He was afforded the finest education and excelled in music and fencing. But he was still Black.

As a gifted, vital young man, Bologne cuts a dashing figure at court, attracting the attention of an older woman, La Guimard (Minnie Driver). His attempts to manage her overtures, while his own desires lead him to the very married Marie-Josephine (Samara Weaving), complicate any hope he has of achieving his greatest ambition: becoming the next leader of the prestigious Paris Opera.

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the cast includes Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline with Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista.

Johnson brings us a new instalment in the exploits of detective Benoit Blanc, played with singular flair and aplomb by Daniel Craig.

In a significant change of tone from the previous film, this new adventure finds our intrepid detective on a Greek island, but how and why he comes to be there is only the first of many mysteries.

According to Johnson, Blanc's penchant for bombast is partly to thank for the film's title, which pays homage to the 1968 Beatles song of the same name. "I'm always fishing for something fun that Blanc can grab onto as an overwrought metaphor that he can beat to death," he says. "This is all in plain sight from the very start. So, the idea of glass came to me, something that's clear. I'll be very honest. I literally got out my iPhone and searched my music library with the word 'glass.' There's got to be some good glass songs. I was like, "Oh, is it a glass fortress? Is it a glass castle? Is it a glass man?" The first thing that came up, because I'm a huge Beatles fan, is 'Glass Onion.'"

SAINT OMER

Directed by Alice Diop from a script written by Diop, Amrita David, and Marie NDiaye, the cast includes Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville, and Aurélia Petit.

In Diop’s narrative feature debut, she brings her typical sensitivity and rigour to a story liberally adapted from a 2013 fait divers, in which a woman allegedly placed her 15-month-old daughter on a beach in northern France, abandoning her to the high tide.

This progressively claustrophobic courtroom drama is told through the stoic point of view of Rama (played by Kayije Kagame), a young novelist working on a contemporary retelling of the ancient Medea myth. Pregnant herself and increasingly uneasy, Rama’s own family history, doubts, and fears about motherhood are steadily dislodged as the life story of the accused woman, Laurence Coly (played by Guslagie Malanda), is gradually revealed. From a stern upbringing in Senegal to gradual isolation from family and society on her arrival in Europe, Coly’s experiences expose the traumas of racism and emotional manipulation that can remai

EMPIRE OF LIGHT

Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward star in this poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema, directed by Sam Mendes and captured by cinematographer Roger Deakins.

Hilary (Olivia Colman) serves at the front of house, opening the theatre every morning and overseeing a brimming concession stand. Meanwhile, her manager (Colin Firth) calls her into his office from time to time for illicit favours. It’s a gloomy routine that Hilary grudgingly repeats, but all her co-workers recognize that she’s been a lot quieter since returning to the job after a long absence.

When Stephen (Micheal Ward) arrives as an eager new employee, the two form a quick, if outwardly unlikely, connection. Hilary hides a troubled past, struggling to manage her mental health, while Stephen, a young Black man, grapples with the racism rampant in 1980s Britain. Both wounded by aggressions outside their control, they find an escape and safe harbour in one another — but their relationship, like the Empire cinema itself, cannot last forever, and soon the pair must face the reality of their differing futures.

CAUSEWAY

Directed by Lila Neugebauer, the cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond, Jayne Houdyshell, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Harvard, Fred Weller, Sean Carvajal, Will Pullen, and Neal Huff.

Lynsey (Lawrence) was working for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Afghanistan when her vehicle hit an explosive, injuring her body and brain. Following an arduous rehabilitation period, Lynsey returns home to New Orleans, where she lives with her well-meaning but neglectful mother (Linda Emond) and takes a job cleaning pools while she waits for her doctor to approve her petition to redeploy.

Lynsey meets James (Brian Tyree Henry), a good-natured mechanic with whom she forges a bond that shifts gradually from casual to something more complex. Like Lynsey, James is struggling to recover from severe wounds, both physical and psychological. Each finds solace in the other but, as their friendship develops, Lynsey is forced to question whether she has it in her to give and accept love.

WENDELL & WILD

Directed by Henry Selick from a script written by Selick and Jordan Peele, the cast includes Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Lyric Ross, Angela Bassett, James Hong, Tamara Smart, Natalie Martinez, Tantoo Cardinal, Igal Naor, Gary Gatewood, Gabrielle Dennis, David Harewood, Maxine Peake, Ramona Young, Sam Zelaya, Seema Virdi, and Ving Rhames.

From the delightfully wicked minds of Henry Selick and producer Jordan Peele comes Wendell & Wild, an animated tale about scheming demon brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele), who enlist the aid of Kat Elliot — a tough teen with a load of guilt — to summon them to the Land of the Living. But what Kat demands in return leads to a brilliantly bizarre and comedic adventure like no other, an animated fantasy that defies the law of life and death, all told through the handmade artistry of stop motion

THE KING’S HORSEMAN

Written and directed by Biyi Bandele, the cast includes Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello, Mark Elderkin, Jenny Stead, Deyemi Okanlawon, Olawale “BrymO” Olofooro, Jide Kosoko, Omowunmi Dada, Langley Kirkwood, Ajoke Silva, Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett

Executive produced by Mo Abudu, THE KING’S HORSEMAN marks the final film from renowned Nigerian novelist, playwright and filmmaker Biyi Bandele (Blood Sisters, Half of a Yellow Sun) who died in August of 2022.

When Elesin (Odunlade Adekola), the king’s chief horseman, succumbs to the lure of beauty and sexual desire on the very evening he is set to die in order to fulfill his lifelong debt of ritual suicide to accompany the dead Alaafin to the realm of the ancestors, he derails from a very important generational and spiritual transaction between the unborn, the living, and the dead, thereby setting in motion a series of catastrophic consequences, in a spell-binding film of emotions, humor, and tragic role reversals that puts ancient beliefs and customs on trial in an ever increasingly post-modern and Western world.

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

THE BLACKENING

Directed by Tim Story from a script written by Tracy Oliver (“Girls Trip,” “First Wives Club”) and Dewayne Perkins, the cast includes Dewayne Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, Jay Pharoah, Yvonne Orji, Antoinette Robertson, X Mayo, and Sinqua Walls.

Based on the 2018 Comedy Central digital short written by Perkins, “The Blackening” centers around seven Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. The feature expands on the original short’s basic premise: “The Black cast member is always the first to die in a horror movie, but what happens when everyone is Black?”

SICK

Directed by John Hyams from a screenplay written by Kevin Williamson and Katelyn Crabb, the cast includes Gideon Adlon, Dylan Sprayberry, Beth Million, and Jane Adams.

For Parker (Gideon Adlon) and Miri (Beth Million), their carefully planned quarantine in a remote country estate gets interrupted by a mask-wearing interloper who wants to stab them with something far sharper than a cotton swab up their noses. Thus ensue the age-old slasher questions of who is the killer, why are they killing, and will their victims survive the night?

DISCOVERY

BRUISER

Directed by Miles Warren from a script written by Warren and Ben Medina, the cast includes Trevente Rhodes, Shamier Anderson, Jalyn Hall, and Shinelle Azoroh.

Fourteen-year-old Darious (Hall) has a lot going for him. His sometimes stern father, Malcolm (Anderson), works hard to keep his car dealership afloat and put Darious through private school, while Darious’ more even-keeled mother, Monica (Shinelle Azoroh), does her best to make sure her son always has someone he can talk to. But there are things Darious doesn’t know how to talk about. When a kid beats him up, humiliating him in front of his crush, he runs into the woods, where he meets Porter (Rhodes), a charismatic man with a hulking physique who lives alone on a houseboat. The pair become fast friends, with Porter offering to teach Darious how to defend himself. What Darious doesn’t know is that Porter is his biological father, and abandoned Monica before he was born. Porter wants to make amends and be part of the boy’s life, but his return dredges up a secret history of brutality.

SHIMINI

Written and directed by Angela Wanjiku Wamai, the cast includes Justin Mirichii

Recently released from prison, Geoffrey (Justin Mirichii) — a once revered English teacher — must restart his life in the rural Kenyan village of Shimoni (translating to “The Pit”), a place he knows intimately and loathes.

Exceedingly quiet, Geoffrey stays mostly to himself, preferring to spend day and night at the local Catholic Church compound that has granted him temporary shelter. He is no good at milking cows but attempts the chores he has been assigned. He attends mass, as directed, but is not interested in making friends. Geoffrey just wants to follow the rules and avoid incident — but that is no longer possible once he sees Weru (Daniel Njoroge).

Paralyzed with fear, Geoffrey is sure he is looking at the man who haunts his dreams. It must be — the white patch of hair makes him unmistakeable. But after waiting decades for this moment, Geoffrey has no words. It is his silence, instead, that speaks volumes. That, and his body’s betrayal. Now, Geoffrey must confront the horror he’s been running from, whether he is ready to or not.

SUSIE SEARCHES

Directed by Sophie Kargman from a script written by William Day Frank, the cast includes Kiersey Clemons, Alex Wolff, Jim Gaffigan, and Ken Marino.

Eager but awkward college student Susie (Kiersey Clemons) balances classes, a part-time job, being a caretaker for her chronically ill mother, and solving crimes via her podcast, Susie Searches. Despite her meticulous investigative skills and prowess at amateur criminal psychology, Susie’s podcast languishes in obscurity. Meanwhile, the spacey, meditation-based social media platform of her classmate Jesse (Alex Wolff) goes viral, making him a minor celebrity.

When Jesse suddenly goes missing, Susie — putting little faith in Sheriff Loggins (Jim Gaffigan) and the local officers with whom she interns — launches her own investigation, conveniently leveraging Jesse’s popularity to draw concerned listeners to her podcast. However, as Susie gets closer to solving the case, which offers an increasing number of surprises just as she’s getting media attention for her efforts, the ethics of her methods come under scrutiny by those who know her best.

SWEET AS

Directed by Jub Clerc from a script by Jub Clerc and Steve Rodgers, the cast includes Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Mark Coles-Smith, Ngaire Pigram, Carlos Sanson Jr, Pedrea Jackson, Mikayla Levy, Andrew Wallace, and Tasma Walton.

Frustrated with her mother’s hard-partying lifestyle, 15-year-old Murra seeks temporary refuge with her police officer uncle. Torn between her love for her mother and a burgeoning but unspoken desire for something more in her life, Murra is left adrift with her emotions and an uncertain future.

To help guide her, Murra’s uncle signs her up for a week-long excursion in the sparsely populated countryside of Western Australia with other so-called “troubled youth.” Each disparate member of this ragtag foursome grapples with inner demons that threaten to derail a healthy path to adulthood. As part of their therapy, the teens are given cameras as a means to express themselves and Murra forms an immediate affinity with photography. Under the hot sun and embraced by the immense beauty of the Pilbara region, Murra and one of her cohorts slowly begin to open themselves up to new possibilities, including finding love and acceptance within themselves.

THE INSPECTION

Written, directed, and inspired by the life of Elegance Bratton, the film stars Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, with Bokeem Woodbine and Gabrielle Union.

In Elegance Bratton's deeply moving film inspired by his own story, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside. But even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and forever change his life.

The film is a co-production between A24 and Passing producer Gamechanger Films. Effie T. Brown produced and co-financed on behalf of Gamechanger. A24 will also co-finance and handle worldwide distribution. Chester Algernal Gordon produced via Freedom Principle.

WHEN MORNING COMES

Written and directed by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, the cast includes Djamari Roberts, Shaquana Wilson, and Jarden Crooks

Jamal (Djamari Roberts), a young boy in Jamaica, has just been suspended from elementary school following an altercation. His widowed mother, Neesha (Shaquana Wilson) is so incensed she can’t hear Jamal’s protestations of innocence. She’s afraid this may become a habit. Convinced that her mother, who lives in Canada, may be able to provide more opportunities for a rambunctious, strong-willed kid like Jamal, she hatches a life-changing plan. Terrified by this, Jamal runs off, spending the next few days living with his best friend, Deshane (Jarden Crooks), the girl he’s crushing on, and substitute father figures, while also visiting the grave of his beloved father. His adventures seem bucolic, but percolating underneath is a rueful awareness that even when people believe they are doing the right thing it can feel emotionally wrong.

TIFF DOCS

LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK BLUES

Directed by Sascha Jenkins

Jenkins covers Armstrong’s expansive career — from New Orleans to Chicago to New York and ultimately conquering the world. Visually, the film stays rooted in Armstrong’s era, drawing upon eclectic footage of him in performance, on the road, and at home. We hear archival recordings of his contemporaries including Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and Artie Shaw, as well as Armstrong’s second wife, pianist Lil Hardin, and his last wife, Lucille, to whom he was married for nearly 30 years. Passages from his private correspondence are read by Nas.

The film grapples with how Armstrong was perceived by a younger, more radical generation who thought he was overly accommodating to white audiences. Ossie Davis, Amiri Baraka, and Wynton Marsalis each attest to being detractors who turned into admirers.