Year: 2022
Director: Muta'Ali
Excutive producer: Mick McAvoy
Line producer: Justine Leahy
Production company: Two Rivers Media
Commissioner: Smithsonian Channel
Screen Scotland support: The production has received funding through Screen Scotland's Film Development and Production Fund, as well as accessing £14,400 through Screen Scotland's Distribution Fund.
Synopsis
Exploring the life of Cassius Clay as he undergoes his spiritual transformation as well as examining the evolution of his amazing boxing skills, this landmark film is structured around the early years of his boxing career between 1959 and 1964 when he turned professional and pursued his dream of becoming World Heavyweight Champion.
From his first contact with the Nation of Islam to the moment when he is given the name Muhammad Ali, we reveal the events in America that would shape his beliefs and examine the figures such as Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X who would become his spiritual advisors. Featuring interviews with people with a direct connection to these moments in Ali’s life, Cassius X: Becoming Ali examines the influences on Ali’s awakenings with regard to owning his own identity - the Nation of Islam, integration vs. separation, and the thoughts and perspectives and beliefs he adopts.
It is Ali’s origin story - the definitive observation of the emergence of a hero
More information
Exploring the transformation of Cassius Clay into international boxing icon and activist, Muhammad Ali, Cassius X: Becoming Ali is the first commission from Two Rivers for Smithsonian Channel.
UK Cinema release: 13 October 2023