Showtime WW Rights To Sinéad O’Connor Sundance Docu ‘Nothing Compares’

UPDATE: Showtime indeed closed the world rights deal on the Sinéad O’Connor docu Nothing Compares that premiered at Virtual Sundance. Read the release below Deadline’s scoop.

EXCLUSIVE: Numerous broadcasters and streamers vied for it, but Deadline hears that Showtime is in exclusive negotiations for the worldwide rights to Nothing Compares, the Sundance buzz title documentary about the provocative life of Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor.

Showtime, and HBO have been in the mix on Nothing Compares along with others, since the film premiered January 21 as a World Cinema Documentary Competition title at Virtual Sundance. Submarine is brokering the deal.

The Kathryn Ferguson-directed film traces O’Connor’s rise to worldwide fame, and her exile from the mainstream that happened when, after singing on Saturday Night Live, she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II in 1992.

The film begins when Kris Kristofferson introduced O’Connor at Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary concert. “I’m real proud to introduce this next artist whose name became synonymous with courage and integrity,” Kristofferson said. This was just 13 days after SNL, and the Madison Square Garden crowd booed her off the stage.

Artists like Frank Sinatra came down hard on her, but what is remarkable about the documentary is that pretty much everything that left her outraged about the Catholic Church and the things that scarred her, now seems prophetic and Kristofferson’s words fit more than ever. O’Connor has had a very rough road, including the recent tragic death of her teenaged son. The film is powerful enough that it has the potential to reframe history’s view of this tiny singer with the outsized voice. Stay tuned.

LOS ANGELES – February 1, 2022 – SHOWTIME Documentary Films announced today that it has acquired worldwide rights to NOTHING COMPARES directed by Kathryn Ferguson (Taking the Waters, Space to Be). NOTHING COMPARES charts Sinéad OʼConnorʼs phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and examines how she used her voice at the height of her stardom before her iconoclastic personality led to her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on Sinéad’s prophetic words and deeds from 1987 to 1993, the film presents an authored, richly cinematic portrait of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens.

NOTHING COMPARES, Ferguson’s documentary feature directorial debut, was an official selection in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival last week. SHOWTIME is planning a theatrical release later this year in the U.S., UK and Ireland ahead of the SHOWTIME premiere in the U.S., and its international partner streaming platforms later this year. The announcement was made by Vinnie Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Nonfiction Programming, Showtime Networks Inc.

The archive-led documentary features era-defining music videos and concert performances alongside previously unseen footage from this period. The film is underpinned by a new interview with Sinéad herself, in which she reflects on events in her own words, and from a present-day perspective. Intimate first-hand contributor interviews add to the tapestry with additional insights from contemporary artists, musicians and social commentators introducing broader themes of Irish history, politics and global activism, all the while reflecting on Sinéad’s artistry, impact and legacy.

“When we began making this documentary four years ago, a key objective was that we would one day be able to share the film with audiences around the world, and to celebrate Sinéad’s music and artistry with fans both old and new,” said Ferguson. “We’re delighted to be partnering with SHOWTIME to achieve that.”

Belfast-born Ferguson is an innovative and boundary-pushing director who has focused on short-form work centered on identity, gender politics and community. Ferguson’s short documentary Taking the Waters premiered at Sheffield DocFest in 2018 and in 2021 she directed the short documentary Space to Be for The Guardian’s highly acclaimed documentary film series.

The film is produced by Eleanor Emptage and Michael Mallie for Tara Films (UK) and Ard Mhacha Productions (Ireland), and presented by Field of Vision. Executive producers are Charlotte Cook, Lesley McKimm, Lucy Pullin, John Reynolds and Lisa Marie Russo. The film was supported by Screen Ireland, the BFI Doc Society Fund, IE:Entertainment and Northern Ireland Screen. Submarine represented the film for worldwide sales, and negotiated the deal with SHOWTIME.