Berlin

Academy Award®-winning director Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated, God Loves Uganda, Music By Prudence) will direct the White Horse Pictures’ and Impact Partners’ documentary feature film The Apollo Theater Film Project – the authorized story of New York’s famed Apollo Theater, it was announced today by Nigel Sinclair of White Horse Pictures and Jonelle Procope, President and CEO of The Apollo Theater.

The film is written by Williams and Cassidy Hartmann (The Beatles: Eight Days A Week, Mole Man). Lisa Cortes (Precious) has joined White Horse Producers Nigel Sinclair, Jeanne Elfant Festa, and Cassidy Hartmann as a Producer, along with Roger Ross Williams.

"The Apollo’s contribution to American culture is immeasurable, and I am incredibly honored and excited to share its story with a global audience,” said Roger Ross Williams.  “I hope this film will not only help to preserve the theater’s rich legacy, but also show how this treasured institution is nurturing the next generation of visionary artists.”

Impact Partners is financing the project along with the Chicago Media Project, Universal Music Group’s Polygram Entertainment, MACRO, Carlene Laughlin, Dave Knott, and the Ford Foundation.

Also executive producing the film are Nicholas Ferrall of White Horse, Julie Goldman of Motto Pictures, and the Apollo Theater’s Jonelle Procope. The film is being presented by Impact Partners and the Apollo Theater, in association with Chicago Media Project, Polygram Entertainment, MACRO, Bert Marcus Productions, and Motto Pictures.

Dan Cogan and Geralyn Dreyfous will Executive Produce for Impact Partners. Cynthia Sexton and David Blackman will Executive Produce for Polygram Entertainment. MACRO’s Charles D. King, Kim Roth and Poppy Hanks will also executive produce, along with Jayson Jackson. Ken Pelletier and the Lagralane Group will executive produce for Chicago Media Group; Steven Cohen and Paula Froehle will co-executive produce.

Jean Tsien (Miss Sharon Jones!, Shut Up & Sing) will edit the documentary.

“We are so proud and fortunate to be working with Roger on this incredibly powerful story,” said Sinclair. “We are also so grateful to the whole team that’s helped bring this project to fruition for the Apollo. Special thanks to Dan Cogan for his indefatigable guidance and leadership on that journey.”

Dan Cogan said "It is an incredible honor to work with two great filmmakers on this epic project: Roger Ross Williams and Nigel Sinclair. The Apollo Theater is one of the great institutions in American culture. We are thrilled to help bring its past and its present to life with this magical team."

“We place artists at the center of all that we do, so we are delighted that Roger has joined the stellar team that is creating the authoritative documentary on the Apollo Theater’s eight-plus decade history as a nexus of culture and the arts,” said Procope.  “We look forward to working with him in telling the complete story of the iconic venue, from seminal cultural moments to our community and arts education initiatives to the theater’s leadership in nurturing generations of artists.”

The film, currently shooting in New York, will tell the story of the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York – past, present, and future.  Through the verité stories of the present-day Apollo and the challenges of those who run it, the film will illuminate the theater’s extraordinary musical and cultural history, and explore how it has managed to stay at the center of America’s conversation about race and social progress since 1934. The film will look to explore the legendary music, dance, and comedy performances that graced the Apollo’s stage.  It will delve into the institution of Amateur Night – the precursor to talent competitions like ‘American Idol’ and ‘The Voice’ – which has been running virtually every Wednesday night for more than 80 years.

ABOUT THE APOLLO

One of the most famous theaters in the world and a driving force in shaping America’s music and cultural landscape, the Apollo’s impact on the local Harlem community and the legendary musicians who performed at the historic venue is immeasurable.  Its significance as a symbol of all that is great in Harlem, New York, and American culture has transcended its origin as a place of culture and entertainment. The Apollo today is recognized as an influential center for culture and performing arts with programming across music, comedy, dance, theater and opera.  The Apollo continues to build on its legacy by nurturing emerging voices and presenting ground-breaking artists across genres, both nationally and internationally.

The theater also continues to serve as a gathering place and focus for African Americans and all New Yorkers at times of cultural and social crisis (the Civil Rights Movement), times of community joy (the election of Barack Obama, the visit of Nelson Mandela), and times of mourning the nation’s greats (including James Brown and Michael Jackson). 

Born out of the Harlem Renaissance, the theater became the most prized venue on the “Chitlin’ Circuit” during the time of racial segregation in the United States.  On the entertainment circuit, becoming the Harlem community’s answer to Carnegie Hall, it showcased a stunning list of renowned artists, including Aretha Franklin, Nat King Cole, Gladys Knight, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Billie Holiday.  It was a launch pad for many musical greats, including Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, and the Jackson Five.  Today, the Apollo hosts more than 100 performances on its stages annually, including artistic offerings from around the globe, robust education and community programs, and shows by some of the most celebrated contemporary artists in the world, such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Metallica and Sam Smith.

ABOUT ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS

Roger Ross Williams is the first African American director to win an Academy Award with his short film Music By Prudence. Williams has directed a wide variety of acclaimed films including God Loves Uganda, which was short listed for an Academy Award and Life, Animated, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017.  Williams is on the Board of Governors for the Academy of motion pictures Arts and Sciences representing the Documentary branch as well as being on the Diversity Committee for the Academy. He serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of the Sundance Institute, the Advisory Board of Full Frame Festival and the Board of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Williams has been named by Variety to the New York Power List as a ‘digitally savvy, entrepreneurial trailblazer’ in the entertainment industry and serves on the board of Docubox Kenya, a documentary fund and mentorship program based in Nairobi that supports African filmmakers.  He also serves on the Board of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, the first major museum in Africa dedicated to contemporary art.

ABOUT WHITE HORSE PICTURES

White Horse Pictures’ most recent film was the Emmy, Critics’ Choice and Grammy Award-winning The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years directed by Academy Award-winner Ron Howard. The company is also producing the upcoming Untitled Tupac Shakur Documentary, directed by Steve McQueen, and the Untitled Luciano Pavarotti Documentary, also directed by Ron Howard. Other titles include Martin Scorsese’s, George Harrison: Living In The Material World which won two Emmy® Awards and was nominated for a BAFTA, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan for which Sinclair won a Grammy Award®, Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who, and both the Academy Award®-winning Undefeated and the Grammy Award®-winning Foo Fighters: Back And Forth. 

White Horse Pictures is a production company focused on high quality, commercial content creation across various different media – Film, TV, Documentaries, and Digital. Based in Los Angeles, the company is built on the foundation of Nigel Sinclair and Guy East’s experience of producing independent movies and takes a “millennial” approach to storytelling and distribution.  Sinclair and East’s previous partnerships at Intermedia and Exclusive Media resulted in dozens of successful award-winning films and docs with top talent, including Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated, The Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe, Snitch with Dwayne Johnson, End of Watch with Jake Gyllenhaal, Rush with Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth, and The Ides of March with George Clooney.

ABOUT IMPACT PARTNERS

Impact Partners is dedicated to funding independent documentary storytelling that entertains audiences, engages with pressing social issues, and propels the art of cinema forward.

Since its inception in 2007, Impact Partners has been involved in the financing of over 80 films, including: Otto Bell’s The Eagle Huntress, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics; The Cove, which won the Academy Award® for Documentary Feature; How to Survive A Plague, which was nominated for the Academy Award® for Documentary Feature; The Hunting Ground; The Queen of Versailles, which won the U.S. Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and Hell and Back Again, which won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize and Cinematography Awards at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award® for Documentary Feature. Impact Partners was founded by Dan Cogan and Geralyn Dreyfous.

ABOUT POLYGRAM ENTERTAINMENT

Polygram Entertainment produces film and television programs that provide deeper narratives and perspectives on the recording artists, music and cultural events that came to define generations. Owned by Universal Music Group, the world leader in music-based entertainment, Polygram develops, produces, finances and distributes documentary features and original, scripted projects for music fans of all ages and tastes around the world. Polygram most recently co-distributed, with Studio Canal, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years and is currently in production on the first fully authorized Motown documentary, with Berry Gordy serving as Executive Producer. Additionally, Polygram is fully financing the upcoming Luciano Pavarotti documentary directed by Ron Howard.