“Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It” has sold to Roadside Attractions two months after its debut at Sundance, the distributor announced on Monday.
The documentary film covers painful subjects from Moreno’s past, including a sexual assault by her agent, and the heartbreak of her relationship with Marlon Brando. Moreno is an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita in 1961’s “West Side Story” as well as a rare EGOT winner for additional work on TV, theater and music.
Mariem Perez Riera directed, and Brent Miller and Riera produced the documentary, while Michael Kantor, Lyn Davis Lear, Norman Lear, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Regina K. Scully executive produced. Ilia J. Vélez-Dávila co-produced.
Others featured in the documentary include George Chakiris, Héctor Elizondo, Gloria Estefan, Tom Fontana, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo.
“Roadside Attractions, I’m so pleased for your commitment to my story and especially for making it available to a broader audience. Curtain Up!” Moreno said in a statement, while Riera added, “Rita is an incredible inspiration to so many, hers is a success story for all women who feel alone as they struggle to assert themselves with courage and bravery against heavy odds. We are so thrilled to bring ‘Rita’ to theaters for audiences to spend time with a woman who, when speaking about herself, speaks to and for a lot of us.”
Roadside will release the film theatrically on June 18. Roadside took North American rights excluding the TV license to PBS’ “American Masters,” which will present the exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere of the doc after a broad theatrical release.
The deal was negotiated by Matt Burke and Josh Braun of Submarine on behalf of the filmmakers with Roadside’s Howard Cohen and Angel An.