ARRAY Releasing has acquired the documentary “In Our Mothers’ Gardens,” which marks filmmaker Shantrelle P. Lewis’ directorial debut.
ARRAY president Tilane Jones announced the acquisition on Thursday, along with news that the film will be released in select theaters and begin streaming on Netflix on May 6.
“’In Our Mothers’ Gardens’ is a beautiful tribute to the complex relationships between Black women connected by lineage and love,” Jones said in a statement. “Released in celebration of Mother’s Day, we are honored to present Ms. Lewis’ feature debut highlighting important bonds between daughters, mothers and grandmothers told by a dynamic group of women.”
The documentary debuted at the 2020 BlackStar Film Festival and subsequently earned the Shine Award for best film. The movie features interviews with #MeToo founder Tarana Burke; Tina Farris (tour manager for talent including The Roots and Chris Rock); cultural critic Dr. Brittney Cooper (Rutgers University); Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames (Princeton University); holistic lifestyle expert Latham Thomas; photographer Adama Delphine Fawundu; and NPR’s Senior Director for Programming Yolanda Sangweni.
The acquisition was negotiated by Gordon Bobb of Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein and Lezcano on behalf of ARRAY, and Darrell D. Miller of Fox Rothschild LLP on behalf of Lewis.
“In Our Mothers’ Gardens” marks ARRAY Releasing’s third title for 2021, following the premieres of ARRAY founder Ava DuVernay’s Sundance Film Festival-winning “Middle of Nowhere” and “This Is the Life.” Founded by the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker in 2011, ARRAY recently marked its 10th anniversary. Previously released films include, Shaz Bennett’s “Alaska Is a Drag”; Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy”; Isabel Sandoval’s “Lingua Franca”; Merawi Gerima’s “Residue”; Takeshi Fukunaga’s “Ainu Mosir”; Stephanie Turner’s “Justine”; Simon Frederick’s “They’ve Gotta Have Us”; Numa Perrier’s “Jezebel”; and Phillip Youmans’ “Burning Cane.”