TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM

Director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders in attendance

Oprah Winfrey is scared. She manages to get the unlisted phone number of a writer whose latest novel she idolizes and now finds herself trying to explain how she obtained that number. Fortunately for Oprah, the writer in question, Toni Morrison, gives her a chance, and the two go on to collaborate on the film adaptation of Morrison’s masterpiece Beloved. It is a telling moment for both women.

Featuring many equally illuminating stories from such cultural icons and critics as Angela Davis, Walter Mosley, Fran Lebowitz and Hilton Als, TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM is the definitive filmed biography of one of America’s greatest writers. However, what makes the film truly stand out is Morrison herself, talking with singular eloquence, insight and honesty about her life, work and the country that undervalued her for far too long. –Ken Jacobson