Feature documentaries about Chaka Khan and Prince are on Kew Media Distribution’s slate for the AFM. Kew is building a profile in music documentaries, launching “Chuck Berry” at Mipcom and recently sealing deals with Showtime and Sky for “Teddy Pendergrass – If You Don’t Know Me.”
In Michael J. Kirk’s “Mr Nelson: On the North Side,” Spike Moss, a musical mentor of Prince, talks about the origin and influences that shaped the star’s musical skills. In turn, musical icons including Chuck D, Macy Gray and Chaka Khan recount stories of Prince and how he inspired them. It is the latest factual project about Prince since his death in 2016.
“Chaka Khan: Keep On Holdin’ On” tells the life story of 10 time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan, including her time as a civil rights activist and member of the Black Panther movement. Another music feature documentary from Kew and set for a launch at the AFM is “Long Live Rock…Celebrate the Chaos,” about the world of rock fandom and the relationship between fans and artists.
Outside of the music-based lineup, Kew will also arrive at the AFM with “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes,” about the titular former Fox News boss, who died in 2017.
The drama highlight for Kew is “Agatha and the Nightingale’s Cry.” Set in the 1920s, it follows an amateur detective’s efforts to track the killer of the Florence Nightingale’s granddaughter, with the help of Agatha Christie. Helmed by Terry Loane, the cast includes Ruth Bradley and Tim McInnerny.
“As always, quality, diversity, and universality are top priorities for us when assembling our slate,” said Jonathan Ford, EVP of sales, at Kew Media Distribution. “It’s about being in touch with content wishes of audiences around the world and finding the films that connect.”