Naomi Osaka is getting her own three-part docuseries on Netflix The series will be produced by LeBron James and Mav Carter’s UNINTERRUPTED and Film 45
Directed by Garrett Bradley, whose film “Time” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, the film focuses on the life of the four-time grand slam champion and her struggles with being catapulted into the public eye.
“What am I if I’m not a good tennis player?” Osaka asks in the first look at the streaming service’s new sports title.
The 23-year-old Black and Japanese athlete, who became an “overnight superstar” after her 2018 US Open win personally narrated the project, which consists of three 40-minute episodes.
“The series is about Naomi’s journey, within a snapshot of her life, but it’s also about life’s purpose, about personal worth, about the courage that it takes to allow one’s personal values to inform their work and vice versa,” Bradley said. “More than anything, I’d hope people can feel the power of empathy and to feel encouraged to take chances in life, perhaps especially in moments where the stakes can feel impossibly high.”
The docu-series began filming in 2020, and according to Netflix is “empathetic in its approach” to explore the layers of pressure Osaka is under and reveals how she spends her time off the court hanging with her closest family and friends.
Traveling the globe with Osaka to further explore her Haitian roots as well as examine her deep connection to Japan, the country she represents, “Naomi Osaka” also offers insight to the subject wearing face masks in defense of Black lives, mourning the mourning the unexpected loss of mentor Kobe Bryant, and finding her independence.
“I feel like the platform that I have right now is something that I used to take for granted, and for me I feel like I should be using it for something,” Osaka said. “I believe, instead of following, you have to make your own path.”
Source : Nydailynews
