Hot off “The Greatest Night in Pop,” Bao Nguyen is going back a few decades further to tell Jimi Hendrix’s story. What will makes Nguyen’s feature-length documentary, “Jimi,” stand out from the others? He’s got the full blessing and cooperation of the Jimi Hendrix Estate.
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“Jimi,” which is already in production, will begin with a 23-year-old Jimmy James arriving in mid-60s London. It was not long at all before he became known as Jimi Hendrix, virtuoso guitarist. And less than one year later, Hendrix achieve icon status in the U.S. with his set at the Monterey Pop Festival.
The doc will include new interviews, never-before-seen photos, and “meticulously curated and restored archival footage,” according to the synopsis. And, of course, Hendrix’s iconic songs.
“‘Jimi’ aims to tell the story of a transformational period in music history when Jimi Hendrix set the world — and his guitar — on fire,” the official description concludes.
“Jimi’s time in London was some of the most pivotal in his life journey and his musical career. The social scene, night life that often bled into day, connections made, decisions on where he wanted to take his music and where he wanted his music to take him; all of that became something of a roadmap for the course his life would take,” Jimi Hendrix’s sister Janie Hendrix said in a statement. “Just as Bao Nguyen has achieved in his films highlighting the lives of other iconic figures who influenced pop culture, this presentation of Jimi’s London experience will be inspiring and informative — a story told the way it should be.”
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Nguyen added, “Telling the story of Jimi Hendrix during his pivotal years in London is both a profound honor and a unique responsibility. London has always been a city that inspires me. Having lived there, I felt a deep connection to its creative energy, much like Jimi did when his creativity reached extraordinary heights. I approach this project with deep respect for his legacy and the cultural significance he holds as an American original. Through this film, I hope to capture the vibrant atmosphere of the 1960s music scene, and his meteoric rise to superstardom, culminating in the legendary show at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival — a triumphant homecoming where his incendiary performance didn’t just set his guitar alight — it ignited a cultural shift that changed the course of music history.”
“Jimi” is a collaboration between Double Agent, Network Entertainment, and Experience Hendrix.
Derik Murray will produce for Network Entertainment, Dana O’Keefe for Double Agent, and Janie Hendrix for Experience Hendrix. Brian Gersh executive produces for Network Entertainment; Yariv Milchan, Natalie Lehmann, Teddy Schwarzman, and Michael Heimler also executive produce. Colin Smeeton and Matthew Gross executive produce for Authentic Studios; Ryan Beedie executive produces for Beedie Investments.
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