This year’s winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Documentary Prize, “Rich Hill,” directed by Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palemo, has finally landed distribution via a partnership between Independent Lens and music distribution company, The Orchard. Independent Lens will broadcast the film nationally on PBS, while The Orchard will distribute the film in the U.S. and Canada outside of linear broadcast. The film is expected to open theatrically in 18 markets, as well as on VOD.
The film follows the
stories and lives of three teenage boys and their families living on the
edge of poverty in the town of Rich Hill, Missouri, as they deal with
daily challenges of growing up.
Read More: Meet the Directors of “Rich Hill”
“‘Rich Hill’ is a
beautiful, powerful, and important film that puts a human face on rural
poverty in a respectful and artistic way. The Orchard is thrilled to be
able to use our expertise, technology, and relationships to distribute
the film across theatrical and digital platforms in North America,
engaging audiences and creating impact for a film that we feel should be
seen by the widest possible audience,” says Danielle DiGiacomo, The
Orchard’s head of documentary acquisitions, who negotiated the deal for
The Orchard.
“It was important for
us and the film to find partners who clearly understood our movie and
could use their influence to reach the widest audiences,” said
co-director Tracy Droz Tragos. “Personally, I felt a kinship
with Independent Lens since they took a chance and supported my debut
film ‘Be Good, Smile Pretty,’ which went on to win an Emmy. And to be
working with The Orchard on our theatrical and digital release, I feel
confident that ‘Rich Hill’ is in great hands.”
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