Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
Director: Lisa Cortes Run Time: 98 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2023
Starring: Little Richard
Country: United States
Language: English
About the film:
Official Selection of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival
The story of the black queer origins of rock n’ roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.
In interviews with family, musicians and cutting edge black and queer scholars, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression, yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself.
“directed with supreme love and insight… The enthralling documentary that Little Richard deserves”
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety
About the filmmaker:
Lisa Cortés is a highly acclaimed veteran filmmaker distinguished by her commitment to impactful projects and challenging, visionary stories. She executive produced the feature film Precious (2009), which received the Sundance Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for best drama, followed by two Academy Awards. Her directorial debut The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion (2019), a documentary on the global cultural impact of female fashion visionaries, premiered on Netflix in July 2020. Along with Liz Garbus, Cortés chronicled the battle waged by Stacey Abrams against voter suppression in the political documentary All In: The Fight For Democracy (2020).
Her film productions have received more than 70 international awards and nominations. Her early career as a music executive was launched at the iconic Def Jam label and Rush Artist Management. She was also vice president of A&R at Mercury Records and founded the Loose Cannon label.
See our upcoming films