With the Tribeca Film Festival under way in New York, HBO has snapped up U.S. broadcast and home video rights to one of the selected docs.
Moms Mabley: I Got Somethin’ to Tell You, Whoopi Goldberg‘s directorial debut, will see its premiere on the cable network later this year. The doc feature follows the life and lasting influence of Jackie “Moms” Mabley, the late African-American comedian.
“Moms Mabley has been a huge inspiration to me and so many others, but not a lot of folks outside of the comedy world know about her legacy,” Goldberg said in the network’s announcement. “There are a lot of us who wouldn’t be working today without pioneers like her. HBO gave me my first break on TV, so it’s only fitting that Moms has a home there now.”
The documentary includes old performance footage and photography of Mabley, who died in 1975, as well as interviews with Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Sidney Poitier, Kathy Griffin, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.
“What could be better than Whoopi bringing Moms to HBO?” added HBO Documentary Films president Sheila Nevins. “We’ve always known how special Moms was, and I can’t think of a better marriage.”
