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"What Happened, Miss Simone"

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Documentary Premieres

For fans of Nina Simone, or for those who have forgotten the politically incendiary blues/jazz singer who died in 2003, director Liz Garbus' insightful documentary is a welcome reminder of the artist's musical greatness and historical importance. Garbus ("The Execution of Wanda Jean," "Bobby Fischer vs. the World") unearths a wealth of archival footage of Simone, both in interview and performance, to illustrate her talent, her activism and her personal demons. The fuller portrait comes from those closest to Simone — including her daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, and her longtime guitarist, Al Schackman — who recall the singer at her best and worst. The results capture a heroine ahead of her time and a life lived to the fullest.

Sean P. Means

"What Happened, Miss Simone" is playing in the Documentary Features program of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. It screens again: Friday, 8:30 a.m., The MARC, Park City; Friday, 6 p.m., Salt Lake City Library Theatre; Friday, Jan. 30, 12:30 p.m., Redstone Cinema 1, Park City; Saturday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m., Salt Lake City Library Theatre.