Kanye West has completed a documentary about his life titled In Whose Name?, reports Variety.
The film, which took six years to make, features previously unreleased archival footage of the artist’s life. A teaser trailer for the project is scheduled for release on November 7. The film was co-created with 18-year-old director Nicolas Ballesteros.
According to Variety, the film’s budget amounts to $1 billion. For comparison, the budget for Joker: Folie à Deux was $200 million, and Dune: Part Two cost $190 million. Despite the staggering budget, the Kanye West documentary was shot entirely on an iPhone.
As per the synopsis, the documentary delves into the artist’s highs and lows, offering viewers insight into his provocative ideas and creative visions. The project promises to reveal “the unvarnished aspects of celebrity life.” “The film explores how Ye became the wealthiest Black man in American history and why the superstar risked everything he had in the name of freedom,” the synopsis states.
Currently, the film is in post-production. International distribution rights are held by Utopia and Goodfellas. Utopia’s VP of Sales, Marie Zeniter, and Goodfellas’ Head of Sales, Eva Diederiks, expressed confidence that the project will garner widespread interest. According to them, the film touches on themes of fame, religion, and power without imposing any particular viewpoint, leaving audiences to draw their own conclusions. Additional details, including the release date, will be announced later.
This is not the first documentary about Kanye West. In 2022, Netflix released the three-part documentary Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. Directed by the artist’s friend Coodie, the series chronicled Kanye’s early days in the entertainment industry, his collaborations with Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, and other hip-hop stars, as well as his personal life, including the aftermath of his 2002 car accident and his relationship with his mother, Donda West.
Last year, Kanye West faced several major controversies. Notably, he made antisemitic statements, leading Adidas to terminate their partnership, costing him $2 billion in a single day and stripping him of his billionaire status. He later issued an apology on Instagram (owned by Meta, recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia). On October 29, 2024, it was reported that Adidas’ CEO declared the dispute with the rapper “a thing of the past” and confirmed that Yeezy sneaker stock will be sold out by the end of the year.