EXCLUSIVE: Fledgling UK distribution company Republic Film Distribution has acquired all UK rights to the feature documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, directed and produced by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.
The Sundance debut is currently on release in the U.S. through Magnolia Pictures generating near $900K at the box office.
The doc charts the late writer’s journey from her childhood in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio, to ʼ70s-era book tours with Muhammad Ali, the front lines with Angela Davis, her own riverfront writing room and a Nobel Prize. The esteemed writer passed away in August after a short illness, aged 88.
Talking heads include Hilton Als, Angela Davis, Fran Lebowitz, Walter Mosley, Sonia Sanchez and Oprah Winfrey, who starred in the feature version of Morrison’s novel Beloved.
Republic, run by former Icon exec Zak Brilliant, plans to release the film in the UK in early 2020, working with partners including Reclaim the Frame and the Morrison’s UK publisher Penguin Random House.
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders said, “It’s a great honor to have Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am open in the UK. We are eager for Toni’s British fans to enjoy the wit and wisdom that Toni shares throughout the film.”
Upcoming releases for Republic include For Sama directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edwards Watts, winner of the Special Jury Prize and Audience Award at SXSW. Releasing in November is Brittany Runs a Marathon from Amazon Studios, directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo and starring Jillian Bell, winner of the Audience Award at Sundance.
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