writing
Writer working internationally across film, theater, and beyond.
I'm deeply interested in forging connection through stories, bridging the gap between past, present, and future to build real community through art.
I write to move beyond stereotype into the universally human.
benin project
A deeply personal feature film
Written by Naïma Hebrail Kidjo
Directed by Femi Kidjo
Starring Lorna Kidjo and Naïma Hebrail Kidjo
Filmed in 2025.
Currently in Post Production.
DIVORCEMOON
A six-part fiction podcast
Meet Cute Presents: Divorcemoon
Part 1. 30-year-old Millie and 65-year-old Liz have formed a close friendship even after Millie and Liz’s son broke up. At their monthly brunch, Millie receives news that shocks her to the core.
Story by Naïma Hebrail Kidjo. Produced and Directed by Mia Walker. Sound Design and Editing by Tanya Orlov. SVP, Production: Lucie Ledbetter. Head of Development: Savannah Hankinson. Starring: Naïma Hebrail Kidjo, Kerry McCormick, Jonathon Timpanelli, Savannah Hankinson.
jeanne
A short historical fiction film
Directed by Antoine Paley
Written by Naïma Hebrail Kidjo
Producers:
Iman Perez, Buffalo Films
Associate Producer - Naïma Hebrail Kidjo
Executive Producer - S. Epatha Merkerson
Naïma’s brain child & passion project
April 27, 1842: a day in the life of Jeanne Duval and Charles Baudelaire.
In their Paris apartment, Charles gets to writing poems about Jeanne, his mixed-race partner and muse, while Jeanne memorizes in the hopes of performing on the cabaret stage. But, as the day goes on, the weight of Charles’ words and needs becomes increasingly difficult for Jeanne to bear.
When Charles returns with news of the abolition of slavery and twists this historical moment to demand yet more from Jeanne, she snaps, finding strength and inner freedom in her anger. Her unwillingness to stay erased resonates through the ages, shining through even her erasure from Courbet’s iconic painting, “L'Atelier du Peintre.”
Conceived by Angélique Kidjo, Jean Hebrail & Naïma Hebrail Kidjo, with book & lyrics by Naïma Hebrail Kidjo, and music by Angélique Kidjo & Jean Hebrail, Yemandja has been developed with and directed by veteran theatrical genius Cheryl Lynn Bruce. Created in partnership with a stellar team of creative collaborators, including visual design by Kerry James Marshall, lighting by Kathy A. Perkins, projections by Rasean Davonte Johnson, costumes by Mary Jane Marcasiano, choreography by Beatrice Capote, and musical direction by John Samorian, Yemandja features Kidjo, who plays the Yoruba orisha Yemandja, a cast of nine Broadway performers and an eclectic musical ensemble including african percussion, electric bass, guitars, and keyboards. Yemandja is a full theatrical work of magical realism that illuminates what happens when people are robbed of their culture.
Executive Producer is Xtina Parks. Producer is THE OFFICE performing arts+film and is co-commissioned by a consortium of global partners including ArtsEmerson, The Broad Stage at Santa Monica College, Brown Arts Institute, Cal Performances, Ruth and Stephen Hendel, Holland Festival, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, MASS MoCA and Yale Schwarzman Center.
yemandja
A historical, mythical realism musical
March 4-5, 2022 | World Premiere Presentation at MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA)
April 14-16, 2022 7:30 pm | The Main Stage at The Broad Stage (Santa Monica, CA)
May 6-7, 2022 8pm | Eisenhower Theater at Kennedy Center (Washington, DC)
April 23rd, 2022 8pm | Zellerbach Hall at Cal Performances (Berkeley, CA)
June 16-18, 2022 | International Theater Amsterdam - Grote zall (Amsterdam, Netherlands)PRESS
Yemandja (Directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Written by Naïma Hebrail Kidjo), Berkshire Eagle 2022
"The project is a family affair, with music written by Kidjo and Jean Hebrail, her husband of 35 years — they met when Kidjo left then-repressive Benin for France — and text and lyrics by their daughter (an actor and writer) Naïma Hebrail Kidjo."
[...]
This is the first time Kidjo, 61, and her daughter, Naima, 28, have worked together artistically. 'I’ve been thinking about this for so long, and what Naïma has written is exactly what was deeply imbedded in my soul. It’s humbling and scary and joyful.' "
"Besides writing all the lyrics, Hebrail Kidjo also composed music for two songs. “That was a beautiful process, working so closely with my mom and my father, building that landscape together.”
The project has inspired her to write more. “I’m working on a short film project, in French, that I’m hoping to shoot in France sometime this year,” she said.
She visits Benin when she can. “That whole continent has so much beauty. I would go when I was a kid, and we had a really fun trip with all my cousins for my grandma’s 90th birthday.” The family matriarch passed last summer. 'In a lot of ways, [Yemandja] is an homage to her. The play is dedicated to my mom’s eldest brother, Oscar, who passed in 2018. He was a spiritual leader in our community, always talking about how important it was to help people find balance between modern life and tradition.”
Pas facile de trouver la sienne quand on est la fille d'une voix qui résonne aussi fort dans le monde artistique et au-delà. En s'inspirant des valeurs transmises par des parents modernes et aimants, la chanteuse béninoise a donné les armes à sa fille pour tracer son propre chemin. [...]
De l’énergie, elles vont en avoir besoin. Si la mère et la fille sont réunies à New York, entre deux concerts pour l’une, et un tournage de série ou une répétition de théâtre pour l’autre, c’est parce qu’elles travaillent sur un projet commun : une « pièce de théâtre musicale » dans laquelle un baptême traditionnel béninois servira de point de départ symbolique au récit de l’histoire de l’esclavage. « C’est aussi son histoire à elle, insiste la chanteuse née à Ouidah il y a 59 ans.
Continuer à lire ici...
CNN joins five-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo backstage on her global anniversary tour, and brings Davido, Stonebwoy and Yo-Yo Ma along for the ride.
This segment includes a peek into the Kidjo household. Angélique Kidjo and her daughter Naïma cook, laugh and discuss life.