A documentary that has filmed the last six years of rap star and former billionaire Kanye West’s life, titled “In Whose Name?” is slated to open in worldwide theaters in 2025, producers of the film told Forbes, though many details about the project remain unknown.
West's documentary will span 2018 to the present. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Producers of the documentary, directed by filmmaker Nico Ballesteros, who has worked with West as a videographer since 2018, first announced the project in an exclusive Variety report Friday afternoon.
The film follows West’s rise to wealth—he was worth as much as $2 billion as of 2022, according to Forbes estimates, before falling off the billionaires list—and examines “why the superstar risked everything he had built in the name of freedom,” according to a press release.
The film, which producers say has a “commitment to truth,” will examine “unfiltered aspects of celebrity life” and the “provocative opinions, grand visions, and bold contrarianism” that defined West during this six-year period.
Production companies Utopia and Goodfellas will introduce the film at the American Film Market next week, where a promo reel will be screened on Nov. 7, as it seeks global buyers.
Marie Zeniter, vice president of sales at Utopia, said in a statement the documentary “invites audiences to draw their own conclusions on themes of fame, religion and power” and shows how West navigates “the complexities and contradictions of celebrity.”
Ballesteros shared texts between himself and West on Instagram Friday afternoon, in which West said the documentary was “very deep” and that viewing it was “like being dead and looking back on my life.”
West ascended to, and soon fell from, billionaire status during the period the documentary covers. He made the Forbes billionaires list for the first time in 2020 with an estimated net worth of $1 billion, largely thanks to the value of his Yeezy sneaker brand in partnership with Adidas. West, at the time, disputed his net worth, stating it was “$3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.” West’s fortune had risen to an estimated $2 billion by 2022. But the controversies that compelled Adidas to cut ties with him in October 2022 tanked his net worth, leaving him worth an estimated $400 million and off the Forbes billionaires list. Adidas said it dropped the rapper because of his string of antisemitic comments, including a tweet that he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people” and even a claim that he “can say antisemitic sh*t and [Adidas] can’t drop me.”
Also during the period the documentary covers, West released several albums, including “Ye” (2018), the gospel album “Jesus Is King” (2019), “Donda” (2021) and a series of collaborative albums with Ty Dolla $ign, “Vultures 1” and “Vultures 2” (both 2024), his first full-length releases since his antisemitism controversies. West and his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, ended their eight-year marriage in 2022, more than a year after Kardashian filed for divorce. West also mounted an independent presidential bid in 2020, ultimately receiving about 60,000 votes. West’s behavior during this period also sparked discussions about his mental health—he had previously opened up about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. West teased his upcoming album, “Bully,” on Instagram last week, though a release date is not yet known.
Billionaire No More: Kanye West’s Antisemitism Obliterates His Net Worth As Adidas Cuts Ties (Forbes)