Amazon Studios has bought the worldwide rights to Story Syndicate’s untitled voting rights documentary featuring politician Stacey Abrams, Variety reported Wednesday.
Two-time Oscar-nominee and two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés are attached to direct. Abrams, along with Garbus, Cortés and Dan Cogan (who won the documentary Oscar for “Icarus” in 2018) are producing.
Amazon is eyeing a theatrical release ahead of the presidential election in November, Deadline added, and it will stream on Amazon Prime Video following that run.
“We are honored to be working with brilliant filmmakers Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés and the remarkable Stacey Abrams on this timely and important documentary,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “In this critical election year, Stacey’s expertise and fearless stance against voter suppression will resonate strongly with audiences everywhere and can inspire positive change in supporting all Americans’ right to cast their vote.”
Abrams made history in the 2018 election as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, which made her the first black woman to be a major-party gubernatorial nominee in the United States. She lost a narrow vote to Republican Brian Kemp, who Abrams called an “architect of voter suppression” for his choice not to step down as secretary of state while campaigning for governor.
Following the election, Abrams launched the non-profit organization Fair Fight Action with the purpose of encouraging voter participation in elections and educating voters about elections and their rights.
“Raising the alarm about voter suppression is critical to the integrity of our democracy,” Abrams said, as reported by Variety. “The failure of state leaders in Georgia and other states across the country to protect the rights of voters, as seen in the 2018 election and 2020 primaries, must be exposed and it must be stopped. Justice in our criminal justice system and the sacred right to vote are not equal for all Americans and we must find a way to change these systematic inequalities. As the 2020 election approaches, this documentary will help voters realize the power of their voices, and it will inspire them to overcome the obstacles of voter suppression.”