Amazon Studios Announces Voter Suppression Documentary Featuring Stacey Abrams
2020 is an election year, so a lot of politically-tinged projects, both scripted and unscripted, are in the works for release soon. One of these projects is a newly-announced documentary that has been picked up Amazon that will feature a potential Democratic candidate for vice president.
Here’s what to expect from the project
On Thursday, Amazon Studios announced that they acquired rights to the currently untitled documentary, which is from production company Story Syndicate.
The documentary is in post-production. It prominently features politician Stacey Abrams and is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés. Dan Cogan is a producer along with Abrams.
Amazon’s official description of the voting rights project is as follows:
The documentary examines the often overlooked, yet insidious issue of voter suppression in the United States in anticipation of the 2020 presidential election. The film interweaves personal experiences with current activism and historical insight to expose a problem that has corrupted our democracy from the very beginning. With the perspective and expertise of Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, the documentary will offer an insider’s look into laws and barriers to voting that most people don’t even know is a threat to their basic rights as citizens of the United States.
What the figures behind the documentary are saying about it
The film will be released later this year. It will be on Amazon Prime Video after it has a theatrical run in U.S. theaters.
Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios praised the filmmakers and Abrams for their work. “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,” she said in a release sent to media. “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 noted how important this project is as the upcoming election approaches. “Raising the alarm about voter suppression is critical to the integrity of our democracy,” she said. “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.”
There is no word yet on when the film will exactly premiere.
