After losing distribution only two weeks before its Sundance premiere, the Russell Simmons accuser documentary On the Record has found a new home.
In its first-ever festival acquisition, HBO Max has picked up the film from Oscar-nominated directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering.
On the Record tells the stories of Simmons’ accusers, including former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon, as they decide to go public with their claims of sexual harassment and assault at the hands of the Def Jam music mogul. The stories of Sil Lai Abrams, Sheri Hines, Jenny Lumet and Alexia Norton Jones also appear in the doc.
Dick and Ziering produced On the Record via their Jane Doe Films with Dan Cogan for Impact Partners, while Regina K. Scully for Artemis Rising, Ian Darling for Shark Island and Abigail Disney for Level Forward served as executive producers.
The news of the pickup comes a couple weeks after executive producer Oprah Winfrey and distributor AppleTV+ suddenly withdrew their involvement with On the Record, with Winfrey citing creative differences with the filmmakers as the reason for her cutting ties with the project.
At the movie’s Sundance premiere, the audience gave the doc multiple standing ovations. With its festival reviews, On the Record currently sits at a 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Hollywood Reporter‘s Beandrea July called the film “a stunning feat of complexity that’s both contained and expansive.”
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SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter – Mia Galuppo
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