Magnolia Pictures has acquired the U.S. theatrical rights to "Muscle Shoals," a documentary about the legendary Muscle Shoals recording studio in Alabama, Magnolia announced on Tuesday.
Director Greg "Freddy" Camalier's film chronicling a small town with a big sound premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival and is screening at the SXSW Film Festival on Tuesday.
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The doc explores the unlikely story of a studio, nestled in the deep South, that united black and white musicians during an incendiary period of racial hostility. Rick Hall opened the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in 1969 and assembled a house band called the Swampers, who's musical chemistry lured the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and many more.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge, Gregg Allman, Clarence Carter, Alicia Keys and Bono are among the documentary's talking musical heads.
Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles calls the film "a great accomplishment," adding: "It captures the elusive magic of a truly special place that birthed some of the most exciting music ever made. Music fans of all ages are going to find this story revelatory.”
"Independent Lens," a five-time Emmy Award-winning series which airs weekly on PBS, has purchased the doc for television distribution, while Films We Like acquired all Canadian rights.
Here's the trailer: