David Farnor | On 29, Jan 2022

Netflix has snapped up the rights to Descendant, fresh from the Sundance Film Festival.

Participant’s feature documentary follows members of Africatown, a small community in Alabama, as they share their personal stories and community history as descendants of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to illegally transport human beings as cargo from Africa to America. The ship’s existence, a centuries-old open secret, is confirmed by a team of marine archeologists. The film explores implications of the Clotilda’s discovery for the descendants, who grapple with their heritage while claiming the power to shape their own destinies.

It is directed by Margaret Brown (The Order of Myths, Be Here to Love Me: Townes Van Zandt, The Great Invisible) and produced by Kyle Martin, Essie Chambers and Margaret Brown, with Two One Five Entertainment’s Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson among the exec-producers.

The film premiered at Sundance this year, and this weekend went on to win the US Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision prize at the festival.

Now, Netflix has acquired the worldwide rights to the film, with Higher Ground – President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company – joining the streamer in presenting the film later this year.

Brown says: “I have been humbled and honoured to spend four years with the residents of Africatown as they seek justice and reconciliation for what happened in 1860, and what is still happening today,” said Brown. “I am excited that through Netflix and Higher Ground’s global reach, audiences around the world will learn this powerful history.”

This is the tenth film or series that Netflix and Participant have collaborated on including American Factory with Higher Ground.

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