Netflix nabs Sundance winner Giving Voice
David Farnor | On 19, Jun 2020
Netflix has nabbed the global rights to Sundance award winner Giving Voice.
The documentary follows the annual August Wilson Monologue Competition where the winning students get a chance to perform at the August Wilson Theater on Broadway.
A new generation of performers are featured are discovered in the film, which follows the emotional journey of six students as they advance through the high-stakes contest, an event that highlights the work of one of America’s preeminent playwrights. The national event brings Wilson’s work (Fences, The Piano Lesson) to public school students pursuing careers in the performance arts. The students who commit to the demanding and rewarding competition process are encouraged to explore themselves and the world around them through the monologues from Wilson’s century cycle of ten plays focused on the Black experience in America.
Through the film, we discover the influence words can have and the voices that can be ignited to inspire change.
Director James D. Stern says: “This is my fifth project with Netflix and nothing thrills me more than to be able to bring Giving Voice to a place that I consider home.”
Giving Voice features the original song “Never Break” performed by John Legend and written specifically for the film by John Legend, Nasri Atweh, Benjamin Hudson McIldowie and Greg Wells. It is an Endgame Entertainment and Pilgrim Media Group Production in association with Endeavor Content, Impact Partners, Get Lifted Film Co and JuVee Productions.
The film had its world premiere at Sundance in January, winning the Festival Favourite award. Netflix will release the film later this year.
Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute