The original HBO documentary Love to Love you, Donna Summerdirected by Oscar®-winning and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (“Life Animated,” HBO’s “The Apollo”) and Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of Donna Summer, premieres May 20 at 9 p.m. , on HBO and HBO Max.
Shaped by Summer’s own reflections, memories of close family, friends and colleagues, and filled with the sounds of the artist’s songs, the documentary is an in-depth look at the disco artist. From the time she was creating songs in Germany’s avant-garde music scene, to the bright lights of New York nightclubs, to worldwide acclaim.
A personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage, the film features never-before-seen photographs and home videos – shot by Summer herself – and provides a great window into the range of her artistry, from composition to painting, while exploring the highs and lows. lows of a life lived on the global stage.
It pulses with the beats and meaning of Summer’s music, including her early hits with Giorgio Moroder, who invoked a sexuality that became a hallmark of Summer’s wildly popular stage persona at the time; and “She Works Hard for The Money,” which paid homage to working women and became the first video by a black artist to debut on MTV.
Contextualizing the singer’s life, the documentary features her three daughters, Brooklyn Sudano, Mimi Dohler and Amanda Sudano Ramirez; her husband, Bruce Sudano; her siblings, Dara Bernard, Mary Ellen Bernard and Ric Gaines. Also included are her first husband Helmuth Sommer, manager Susan Munao, band member Bob Conti and producer Giorgio Moroder.
“Let’s wait to see if the documentary will address the moment when the singer lost her gay fans when she made homophobic statements a few years before her death in 2012, justified by her extreme religiosity”, opines MONDO MODA editor, Jorge Marcelo Oliveira.