On the heels of three Emmy nominations for his most recent documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, Bao Nguyen has entered production on Jimi, an authorized, feature-length doc on the meteoric rise of rock star Jimi Hendrix for Double Agent (Asif Kapadia’s 2073), Network Entertainment (Brats, Sidney), and Experience Hendrix.
The origin story watches as 23-year-old unsung sideman Jimmy James arrives in the Swinging London of 1966 and quickly establishes himself as “Jimi Hendrix,” blowing away the luminaries of the era with his virtuosic technique. Within a year, Hendrix is catapulted back to the U.S. for his breakout psychedelic performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, exploding into the most iconic guitar player in the history of popular music. Through newly commissioned interviews, never-before-seen photos and meticulously curated and restored archival footage, as well as the immortal Hendrix tracks that dominated the charts, Jimi will tell the story of a transformational period in music history when Hendrix set the world — and his guitar — on fire.
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Producers are Network Entertainment’s Derik Murray, Dana O’Keefe for Double Agent, and Janie Hendrix. Exec producers are Yariv Milchan, Natalie Lehmann, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Brian Gersh for Network Entertainment, Colin Smeeton and Matthew Gross for Authentic Studios, and Ryan Beedie for Beedie Investments.
In a statement on the project, the subject’s sister Janie, who serves as President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, said, “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. 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.”
Stated Nguyen, “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.”
Added Network Entertainment’s Founder, Murray, “I am honored to be working with Janie Hendrix and Bao Nguyen to produce a film that will be a celebration of Jimi’s immense talent as a songwriter, singer, and the unparalleled guitarist for which he is universally recognized, who has inspired generations of artists and fans.”
Renowned Vietnamese American filmmaker Nguyen’s most recent pic The Greatest Night in Pop, produced with Lionel Richie, is about the making of a benefit single for African famine relief and the superstar artists that shaped the song into one of the fastest-selling pop songs of all time, “We Are the World.” Nominated at this year’s Emmys for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program, the film world premiered at Sundance and was released on Netflix on January 29, immediately rising to #1 on the streaming service.
Nguyen’s other documentary credits include Live from New York!, celebrating 40 years of Saturday Night Live, which opened the Tribeca Festival, and Be Water, a deep dive into the life and journey of Bruce Lee, which was broadcast nationally on ESPN. The filmmaker is repped by CAA and Mosaic.