Greenwich Entertainment Acquires North American Rights To Gospel Doc ‘Stay Prayed Up’

EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the gospel documentary Stay Prayed Up, which premiered to critical acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival and DOC NYC, for release in theaters on June 17.

The film from directors D.L. Anderson and Matt Durning tells the story of Lena Mae Perry, who has spent the last 50 years sharing and sharpening her voice as the steadfast bandleader of The Branchettes, a legendary North Carolina gospel group that has packed churches throughout the South and lifted hearts as far away as Ireland. Pic invites audiences into “Mother” Perry’s close-knit community as the 83-year-old strives to extend The Branchettes’ sacred song ministry ever forward, following the ensemble as they record their first live album—a hallmark in the canon of Black gospel groups. Mikel Barton, Phil Cook, Lena C. Williams and Leslie Raymond served as the feature’s producers.

“We believe Stay Prayed Up offers a well-timed, welcomed dose of spiritual and communal uplift,” said Anderson.

Added Durning, “We are thrilled to partner with Greenwich to offer this soul stirring experience to a range of theatrical audiences seeking healing and renewal, regardless of their faith practice or background.”

Founded in 2017, Greenwich Entertainment is an independent film distribution company specializing in narrative and documentary features, which handled the record-setting theatrical release of Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi’s Academy Award-winning documentary, Free Solo. Other Greenwich releases include Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, from Oscar winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman; Andrew Slater’s Echo in the Canyon; Isabel Coixet’s The Bookshop, starring Emily Mortimer and Bill Nighy; Madeleine Olnek’s Wild Nights with Emily, starring Molly Shannon; and The Rescue, directed by Chin and Vasarhelyi.

Andy Bohn negotiated the deal for Stay Prayed Up on behalf of Greenwich, with Cinetic Media’s Jason Ishikawa on behalf of the filmmakers.