HBO Original documentary LOVE TO LOVE YOU, DONNA SUMMER, directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (“Life Animated,” HBO’s “The Apollo”) and Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of Donna Summer, debuts SATURDAY, MAY 20 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. The documentary had its international premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival and its domestic premiere at SXSW.
Synopsis: Shaped by Summer’s own reflections, the memories of close family, friends and colleagues, and filled with the sounds of Summer’s songs, LOVE TO LOVE YOU, DONNA SUMMER is an in-depth look at the iconic artist as she creates music that takes her from the avant-garde music scene in Germany, to the glitter and bright lights of dance clubs in New York, to worldwide acclaim, her voice becoming the defining soundtrack of an era. A deeply personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage, the film features a wealth of photographs and never-before-seen home video footage – often shot by Summer herself – and provides a rich window into the surprising range of her artistry, from songwriting to painting, while exploring the highs and lows of a life lived on the global stage.
LOVE TO LOVE YOU: DONNA SUMMER pulsates with the beats and significance of Summer’s music, including her early hits with Giorgio Moroder, which 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 tribute to the working woman and became the first video from a Black female artist to debut on MTV. The film provides a rich perspective on her complexity, talent, and the adversity she faced while examining the impact that fame can have on love, art and family.
Featured Participants: Contextualizing Summer’s extraordinary life are her three daughters, Brooklyn Sudano, Mimi Dohler and Amanda Sudano Ramirez; 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, producer Giorgio Moroder.
Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents a Polygram Entertainment presentation, a Motto Pictures production, in association with One Story Up and Federal Films, LOVE TO LOVE YOU, DONNA SUMMER. Directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano; a film by Roger Ross Williams; produced by Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Roger Ross Williams, David Blackman; co-producer: J. Daniel Torres, Robert Komadina; edited by Enat Sidi, Jon Stray; consulting editor: Jean Tsien; executive produced by Brooklyn Sudano, Bruce Sudano, Michele Anthony, Bruce Resnikoff, Monte Lipman, Brett Alperowitz. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez.
