Lionsgate and Disney announced today that Nikole Hannah-Jones’ acclaimed The New York Times’ publication, The 1619 Project, will debut on HULU. The project is the first of many installments of content surrounding the article in collaboration with The New York Times and Oprah Winfrey. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams will produce and oversee the documentary series based on materials drawn from the 2019 publication. The project will debut in the U.S. on the premium streaming service as part of a distribution agreement between Lionsgate and Disney General Entertainment Content’s BIPOC Creator Initiative led by Tara Duncan. From The Time’s, Editorial director for film and TV, Kathleen Lingo, along with executive producer for scripted film and TV, Caitlin Roper, will also serve as executive producers for the series. Hannah-Jones 1619 Project
The docuseries marks the first offering from Lionsgate’s collaboration with The New York Times staff writer, investigative and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and media titan Oprah Winfery. The renowned publication and Winfrey will work together to produce Hannah-Jones’ landmark The New York Times Magazine issue, The 1619 Project, and hit New York Times podcast, 1619, into an expansive portfolio of feature films, television series, location-based exhibitions and other content for a global audience.
“We worked hard to get everything right with our first offering,” said Ms. Winfrey. “Adding the reach of Disney and its powerful brand to our collaboration, launching on a great premium platform like Hulu, and bringing together the creative resources of our friends at Lionsgate and The New York Times to support Nikole Hannah-Jones’ narrative and Roger Ross Williams’ vision is the perfect start to our partnership.”
Described as one of the most impactful and thought-provoking works of journalism of the past decade, The 1619 Project, was a landmark undertaking that centralized slavery in the U.S. history’s narrative. The project provided an unflinching account of the brutal racism that endures in many aspects of American life today. It examined the legacy of slavery in America and how it shaped nearly all aspects of society, from music and law to education and the arts, and including the principles of American democracy. The project was launched in August 2019, on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the English colonies that would become the United States. Williams will direct the first episode and produce the series under his One Story Up production banner with producing partner and co-executive producer Geoff Martz in collaboration with Lionsgate Television, The New York Times and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films.
“I could not ask for a more gifted and committed storyteller to entrust ‘The 1619 Project’ to than Roger Ross Williams,” said Ms. Hannah-Jones. “I have long admired the impact and authenticity of his filmmaking, and the fact that we’re working with Disney and Hulu aligns with our vision of partnering with the world’s greatest Black storytellers to bring this project to a global audience.”
Williams is an award-winning director, producer and writer and the first African American director to win an Academy Award, winning for his short film Music by Prudence. Williams’ other notable projects include; the Emmy Award-winning documentaries Life, Animated and The Apollo; the documentary God Loves Uganda; American Jail; and the Emmy-nominated, Webby Award-winning virtual reality experience Traveling While Black.
“‘The 1619 Project’ is an essential reframing of American history. Our most cherished ideals and achievements cannot be understood without acknowledging both systemic racism and the contributions of Black Americans. And this isn’t just about the past—Black people are still fighting against both the legacy of this racism and its current incarnation,” said Williams. “I am thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to work with The New York Times, Lionsgate Television, Harpo Films and Hulu to translate the incredibly important ‘The 1619 Project’ into a documentary series.”
Serving as showrunner is the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning journalist and showrunner, Shoshana Guy. Guy spent over a decade as an anchor producer for Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams at NBC News. Her work at NBC focused on issues of race and justice, including coverage of the defunding of the Camden Police Department, earning her a Peabody Award. Guy’s work has also been recognized with two Emmy nominations for her coverage of President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign and her in-depth reporting on a year in the life of Black high school students in Jackson, Mississippi. Guy most recently served as showrunner for Vice TV’s late-night series Cari and Jemele: Won’t Stick to Sports.
Oprah Winfrey, Lionsgate and The New York Times will work together on the wide-ranging partnership to develop The 1619 Project into an expansive portfolio of feature films, television series and other content set for a global audience in July 2020.
Hannah-Jones 1619 Project Hannah-Jones 1619 Project
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