A documentary chronicling Michelle Obama’s travels through more than 30 cities for the book tour of her bestselling memoir “Becoming” will be released on Netflix next week, Obama announced Monday.
“Those months I spent traveling — meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe — drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep and real and can’t be messed with,” Obama wrote on Instagram. “I treasure the memories and that sense of connection now more than ever, as we struggle together to weather this pandemic, as we care for our loved ones, tend to our communities, and try to keep up with work and school while coping with huge amounts of loss, confusion, and uncertainty.”
Obama’s 2018 memoir, which details her life from childhood to her time in the White House, was the best-selling book of the year. Within six months, it became one of the best-selling memoirs of all time, with more than 10 million copies sold.
Directed by Nadia Hallgren, the film — also titled “Becoming” — is the third joint project between Netflix and Higher Ground Productions, the Obamas’ production company. “American Factory,” a documentary about a Chinese billionaire who opens a glass factory in a former General Motors plant in Ohio, was the company’s first release and it won the Academy Award for best documentary feature this year.
Netflix shared a clip of the documentary alongside its announcement, showing Obama speaking with a group of black girls at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.
“Even in hard times, maybe especially in hard times, our stories help cement our values and strengthen our connections,” Obama wrote. “Sharing them shows us the way forward.”
“Becoming” will be released next Wednesday, May 6.