Aura Entertainment has acquired “Satisfied,” a documentary that follows “Hamilton” star Renée Elise Goldsberry.
In the film, which draws its title from the hit “Hamilton” song of the same name, Goldsberry’s vlogs capture how she secured the role of Angelica Schuyler in what would become the 2015 Broadway phenomenon “Hamilton,” while also enduring fertility issues and trying to mother her two young children.
Directed by filmmakers Chris Bolan (“A Secret Love”) and Melissa Haizlip (“Mr. SOUL!”), “Satisfied” premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Somewhat surprisingly, given the doc’s celebrity nature and the never-before-seen footage of the making of the Broadway juggernaut “Hamilton,” the major streamers didn’t buy film. Aura Entertainment will partner with Fathom Entertainment to release “Satisfied” in U.S. theaters beginning Sept. 30.
“’Satisfied’ isn’t just a story about how one role, one show, changed the face of Broadway for future generations; it’s a story about motherhood and resilience,” said Aura Entertainment’s CEO Marc Goldberg. “Renée’s story is both personal and powerful, with a behind-the-scenes look at a cultural phenomenon that audiences around the world will find deeply moving.”
Goldsberry began vlogging about important moments in her life 11 years ago. She used her iPhone to capture her young son’s birthdays and the 2014 adoption of her daughter in Ethiopia. A few months later, Goldsberry filmed herself after auditioning for a Lin-Manuel Miranda workshop called “The Hamilton Mixtape.” It was an audition that the actor, known for her roles in Broadway’s “Rent” and Netflix’s “Girls5eva,” originally passed on. At the time, Goldsberry was the mother of two children under the age of 5. She wanted to take time away from work to concentrate on parenting, but after hearing Miranda’s song demos for “The Hamilton Mixtape,” Goldsberry couldn’t resist.
The doc intertwines Goldsberry’s home videos and her never-before-seen iPhone footage of early “Hamilton” workshops, as well as the show’s pre-Broadway run with archival news footage and interviews with subjects including Miranda.
Goldsberry told Variety that she never intended to turn her vlogs into a documentary.
“It had not crossed my mind,” Goldsberry said. “But I felt that the experience I was having in “Hamilton” was so spectacular and signature. I was very aware that something was happening to me that a lot of people were curious about how it might feel. I grew up dreaming about being a part of an original company of a show, and I was very aware that that dream was happening in my life. I knew “Hamilton” wasn’t just a show. I knew it was a show that was going to be the greatest thing I had ever heard of. So I just like, there are a lot of people who would want know what this feels like.”
Bolan said that Goldsberry’s role in “Hamilton” was just the vehicle into the doc. “Renée’s story as a mother and her fertility journey was why we wanted to make this film,” he said.
“Satisfied” is produced by Stick Figure in association with Amblin Documentaries and Aperture Media Partners.
Watch the “Satisfied” trailer.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com ’
