With Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders takes an in-depth (and already acclaimed) look at the celebrated writer and 1993 Nobel Prize winner.
The documentary sees Morrison herself looking back on her legacy across literature and beyond, with an assortment of commentary on novels including debut The Bluest Eye and a deep-dive into her Princeton teaching years. Oprah, Angela Davis, Walter Mosley, Hilton Als, Fran Lebowitz, Sonia Sanchez, and Farah Griffin are also featured in interviews.
The doc premiered at the 2019 edition of Sundance Film Festival back in January, marking Greenfield-Sanders' fourth time debuting a project at the Park City marathon of cinema. He previously bagged a Grammy for Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart.
Early word on the film has been overwhelmingly positive, with critics praising its ability to capture an artist's legacy while also potentially introducing Morrison's work to new readers. Writing for Black Girl Nerds, Jonita Davis called the Sundance premiere "much more than a viewing experience."
In 2017, Princeton University dedicated the renaming of its Morrison Hall (formerly West College) building to Toni Morrison.
"Today Princeton revises itself—revises its plaques of stone and its maps both paper and electronic—so that Toni Morrison's name becomes part of the lexicon through which students, faculty, staff, and alumni navigate this campus, and thereby part of the evolving tapestry through which our community defines itself," Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber said at the opening ceremony of the renamed 181-year-old building.
