Andra Day

Our seemingly insatiable desire for films based on true stories has been placated yet again with The United States VS Billie Holiday.

The feature film, directed by Lee Daniels and starring Andra Day is set to be released in Australian cinemas on April 29, 2021. The film is already streaming in the US on Hulu.

So how does one even begin to portray such a venerable woman such as Holiday and on the big screen in the confines of 130 minutes? Well, that’s the formidable talent of Andra Day. The actress and singer has already been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress following the film’s release in the States and has won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Motion Picture. She’s only the second Black woman to be honoured with the award.

The official trailer gives us a glimpse into what is set to be a sparkly and glamorous affair set amongst the racially charged atmosphere of America in the 1940s.

The film depicts the events of jazz musician Billie Holiday, and her life leading up to her arrest for possession of narcotics. Law enforcement agents famously used these grounds to discredit her and detract from her part in the Civil Rights Movement.

The trailer features a haunting rendition of Holiday’s most famous hit “Strange Fruit” – a song that describes a lynching and speaks to the racially charged violence against Black people in the US. It is also a song that law enforcement agencies at the time became determined to silence. The trailer shows the moment Billie Holiday is dragged off stage for daring to sing the hit after her manager had struck it from the set list.

Screenwriter Suzan-Lori Parks told the LA Times that “the core of the story was all on the table: ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ — not ‘The Billie Holiday Story,’” Parks says. “… To me, this is all about how we love this country and it dismisses us, and how for Black people, the fastest route to being an American is to throw someone of colour under the bus. Whatever your race, actually.”

Andra Day

Holiday’s significance as an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement is highlighted in a scene where she suggests that her live show has an integrated audience – Black people and white people sitting together.

The United States VS Billie Holiday will hit Australian cinemas on April 29.