Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

TONI: THE PIECES I AM, offers an artful and intimate meditation on the life and works of legendary storyteller Toni Morrison and the powerful themes she has brought to American literature. From the steel mills of Lorain, OH to 70s-era book tours with Mohammed Ali, from the front lines with Angela Davis to her own riverfront writer’s room, Toni Morrison leads a collection of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, America, history and the human condition as seen through the prism of her own literature.

Inspired to write because no one took a “little black girl” seriously, Toni Morrison reflects on the “white male gaze” and her lifelong deconstruction of the master narrative.  Woven together with a rich collection of art, history, literature and personality, the feature-length documentary film includes discussions about her many critically acclaimed works, including novels The Bluest Eye, Sula and Song of Solomon, her time as an editor of iconic African American literature and her role as an educator at Princeton University.

In addition to Ms. Morrison, the film features illuminating interviews with Hilton Als, Angela Davis, Fran Lebowitz, Walter Mosley, Sonia Sanchez, Peter Sellars and Oprah Winfrey, who turned Ms. Morrison’s novel Beloved into a feature film.  Directed and produced by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders using his direct-to-camera interview style, TONI: THE PIECES I AMincludes original music by Kathryn Bostic and original artwork by Mickalene Thomas.