Doc on Venus and Serena Williams’ Father, Richard Williams, Secures Sales in Major Markets (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comManori Ravindran Executive Editor of International A new documentary about Richard Williams, the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams, has sold into major markets. “On the Line: The Richard Williams Story,” which had its U.K.
premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest in June, has been sold into Sky (U.K. and Italy), Canal+ (France), MNET (South Africa), Paramount+ (Australia) and TVNZ (New Zealand).
The film paints a complex portrait of the life, career and impact of Williams — the family patriarch and tennis coach to Venus and Serena Williams, who was also portrayed by Will Smith in the 2022 movie “King Richard.” In the documentary, Williams provides rare home video footage and candid interviews to detail the family’s unprecedented gate-crashing in the 1990s of a predominately white, upper-class sport.
Newly discovered archival footage from the courts in Compton and a roster of interview subjects including Billie Jean King and Pam Shriver, retrace the Williams sisters’ meteoric ascent through the tennis rankings in the face of racial oppression and unconscious bias.
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