'Becoming': Michelle Obama documentary debuts on Netflix on May 6

The documentary is also the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Nadia Hallgren, known for her work 'Trouble the Water'

A top-secret documentary feature on former US first lady Michelle Obama is set to start streaming worldwide on Netflix from May 6. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the documentary shares its title with Michelle Obama's best-selling 2018 memoir Becoming and recounts some of the same history of her life.

Becoming, like the best documentary feature Oscar winner American Factory, comes from Higher Ground, the production company run by former President Barack Obama and the former first lady. It has an exclusive pact with the streamer.

The documentary also marks the feature directorial debut of cinematographer Nadia Hallgren, known for her work Trouble the Water, the 2008 indie about a couple surviving failed levees, bungling bureaucrats, and their own troubled past and a portrait of a community abandoned long before Hurricane Katrina hit.

Becoming also picks up where that story left off by following her on the 34-city tour that she undertook while promoting her book. "Those months I spent travelling, meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep and real and can't be messed with."

"In groups large and small, young and old, unique and united, we came together and shared stories, filling those spaces with our joys, worries and dreams. We processed the past and imagined a better future. In talking about the idea of 'becoming', many of us dared to say our hopes out loud," Michelle Obama said in a statement.

The former first lady also addressed the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "It's hard these days to feel grounded or hopeful, but I hope that like me, you'll find joy and a bit of respite in what Nadia has made. Because she's a rare talent, someone whose intelligence and compassion for others come through in every frame she shoots."

"Most importantly, she understands the meaning of community, the power of community, and her work is magically able to depict it," she added.