Neon has acquired U.S. domestic rights for Sundance documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” following a heated bidding war, TheWrap has learned. Netflix, SPC, Mubi also circled the project.
A theatrical release is planned for later this year.
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” was conceived and filmed in 1972 by the late William Greaves and restored and directed by his son David Greaves. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it earned widespread critical acclaim.
The official logline reads: A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. For four hours, this extraordinary group – many of whom had not seen each other in fifty years – reminisced, critiqued, argued, laughed and drank while wrestling with their place in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.
The film had an epic journey to completion. Over 50 years later, David Greaves, one of the original cameramen – who was guided by his father’s notes and workprints to create a new film that embodies William’s unique use of cinema.
The film is produced by his granddaughter, Liani Greaves. David and Liani serve as William Greaves Productions’s President and Vice President of Production, respectively.
Louise Archambault Greaves, William’s wife and creative partner of 55 years, co-founded the company in 1963. Following his death in 2014, she worked tirelessly to restore his films and to ensure this landmark project would finally be realized.
Producer Anne de Mare worked with Louise to preserve and digitize over 60,000 feet of previously unseen 16mm footage shot by Greaves in 1972. The preservation was overseen by multi-disciplinary artist and preservationist Bill Brand. Louise passed away in 2023.
In her review of the film, TheWrap’s Elizabeth Weitzman wrote: “’Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ feels deceptively loose: as the camera roves Ellington’s crowded living room, with its beautiful leaded windows, plush velvet curtains, and award-filled walls, it truly feels as though we are at the party ourselves. But in actuality, this is as essential a historical document as you could ever hope to find.”
The deal was negotiated by Sarah Colvin, VP of Acquisitions for Neon and Jason Ishikawa and Isadora Johnson of Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers.
More to come…