Adored in Europe, Josephine Baker was to come up against the racism of segregated America, her native country. The story of the extraordinary destiny of the first black star and her struggles is set against a backdrop of superb archive footage.

The march for civil rights in Washington remains "the best day of [her] life". On August 28, 1963, dressed in the uniform of Free France, Josephine Baker was the only woman to speak alongside Martin Luther King in front of a crowd of black and white people. This speech was the culmination of a life of success but also of bullying and struggle. As a poor child in Missouri, Josephine ran away from her white family who treated her like a slave at the age of 13 to join a theatre group. After a foray into music hall in New York, she seized the offer of a producer who was putting on a show in Paris. With its liveliness and greater tolerance, the City of Light conquered her. Its inhabitants, and soon all of Europe, became infatuated with this stage tornado, whose dazzling dancing and multiple talents (singing, dancing, acting) were in keeping with the frenzy of the Roaring Twenties.

Spy for the Resistance
At a time when the "natives" were being exhibited like fairground animals, Josephine became the object of sincere adulation but also of less than glowing colonial fantasies. Her American tours also revived childhood traumas: she was turned away from hotels and the critics looked down on her. As for the black community, they accused her of not having done anything for their people. Distraught, the star realised that she would find her way in political commitment. The war of 1940 gave her the opportunity. With courage, Josephine Baker joined the Resistance as a spy. Then, in 1951, during a tour of Florida, she demanded that concert halls be opened to black audiences, and denounced the prevailing racism to the point of attracting the reprisals of the FBI.
With sometimes poignant excerpts from her memoirs, interviews and a rich archive, where the star appears to be full of energy and always smiling - she liked to put on a show - but more serene as she finds her way, this film paints a moving portrait of the first black icon.

Documentary by Ilana Navaro (France, 2018, 52mn) - Commentary by Léonie Simaga and Sara Martins - Coproduction: ARTE France, Kepler22 Productions, Novak Prod, RTBF