Netflix to release documentary centred on Michelle Obama's book tour

Following the publication of Michelle Obama's autobiography Becoming (Viking) in 2018, Netflix is releasing a documentary film of the same name, directed by Nadia Hallgren, that, according to the former first lady, "looks at my life and the experiences I had while touring following the release of my memoir".

Due for release on 6th May, the documentary explores the three months Obama spent travelling for her book tour, "meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe", solidifying the idea for her "that what we share in common is deep and real and can’t be messed with".

"It’s hard these days to feel grounded or hopeful," Obama commented, "but I hope that like me, you’ll find joy and a bit of respite in what Nadia has made. Because she’s a rare talent, someone whose intelligence and compassion for others comes through in every frame she shoots. Most importantly, she understands the meaning of community, the power of community, and her work is magically able to depict it."

Obama visited London as part of her book tour in 2018. She appeared at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, in conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and also returned to Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in Islington, which she had previously visited in 2009.

Since her memoir's publication on 13th November 2018, Becoming has sold 1.26 million copies across the UK and Ireland, in all formats, including almost 750,000 hardbacks through the TCM. It has been published in 45 languages, took home the Non-Fiction Narrative Book of the Year and Audiobook of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards, and the audiobook also won the award for best spoken word album at the 2020 Grammys.