--- title: Behind the First Maya Angelou Documentary Ever Made description: Filmmakers Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack explain why they're the first to make a documentary about the iconic writer and activist canonical: https://time.com/4103199/maya-angelou-documentary/ author: Kenneth Bachor article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-09T23:28:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:01:01.775Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Behind the First Maya Angelou Documentary Ever Made og:description: Filmmakers Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack explain why they're the first to make a documentary about the iconic writer and activist og:url: https://time.com/4103199/maya-angelou-documentary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27aef64822f6e06c/69886fed8e06018ae3463347/maya-angelou-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Maya Angelou og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Behind the First Maya Angelou Documentary Ever Made twitter:description: Filmmakers Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack explain why they're the first to make a documentary about the iconic writer and activist twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27aef64822f6e06c/69886fed8e06018ae3463347/maya-angelou-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Go Inside the Making of the First Documentary About Maya Angelou > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Kenneth Bachor](https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/) ## Kenneth Bachor Nov 9, 2015 11:28 PM UTC  Maya Angelou gestures while speaking during an interview at her home on April 8, 1978. Maya Angelou gestures while speaking during an interview at her home on April 8, 1978.Jack Sotomayor—Getty Images by [Kenneth Bachor](https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/) ## Kenneth Bachor Nov 9, 2015 11:28 PM UTC Dr. Maya Angelou was best known as a poet, author and civil rights activist. But—as Bob Hercules, one of the directors of the upcoming [_The Maya Angelou Documentary_](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/692700038/the-maya-angelou-documentary), fondly puts it—”she led the life of about 12 people.” That’s part of why Hercules and co-director Rita Coburn Whack were so surprised to learn that no documentary had been made about Angelou yet. “Dr. Angelou had done radio and television and had a well documented life,” says Coburn Whack. “I felt like everybody felt that there must be something out there.” Over the course of nearly four years, the pair shot interviews with not only Angelou herself until her death in May 2014, but also with other prominent figures ranging from Oprah Winfrey to President Bill Clinton, who grew up about 25 miles away from Angelou’s hometown in Arkansas. Describing a “trust factor” Angelou had with Coburn Whack, they wanted the story to be told correctly and accurately. “She was going to have to go back over her life as she was approaching the end of her life,” Coburn Whack says. “So she had to decide, ‘Do I want to do this?'” They ended up capturing almost four hours of interviews with Angelou over different periods. “It’s like a Forrest Gump experience where she was at all these amazing moments,” says Hercules. “The scope of her life is astounding to me.” The filmmakers have since launched a Kickstarter campaign to complete the film to offset the high costs associated with archival photos and film clips. “We’re lucky enough to have so much footage, but on the other hand \[it’s\] very expensive to us,” says Hercules. They hope to complete the project next year in time for a 2016 release on PBS. Here, see photos from Angelou’s life and illustrious career.  Maya Angelou gestures while speaking during an interview at her home on April 8, 1978. Jack Sotomayor—Getty Images  Maya Angelou on the beach in 1988 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Marlene Wallace—Getty Images  Maya Angelou with a copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings on Nov. 3, 1971 in Hollywood, Calif. AP  Maya Angelou in 1954. G. Paul Bishop  Maya Angelou in 1954. G. Paul Bishop  Maya Angelou during an interview in Washington, D.C. on June 3, 1974. Craig Herndon—Getty Images  Maya Angelou talking at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City on March 14, 1972. Edward A. 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