Netflix and Shondaland Acquire Worldwide Rights to “Black Barbie: A Documentary”

Netflix and Shondaland Acquire Worldwide Rights to ‘Black Barbie: A Documentary’

Netflix and Shondaland today announced the acquisition of Black Barbie: A Documentary. The film is directed by Lagueria Davis and executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers as part of their overall deal with Netflix.

Film Title: Black Barbie: A Documentary

Director: Lagueria Davis

Producers: Aaliyah Williams for Just A Rebel, Lagueria Davis for Lovely Day Films

Executive Producers: Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers for Shondaland, Grace Lay and Sumalee Montano for LinLay Productions, Camilla Hall for Lady & Bird Films, Milan Chakraborty, Jyoti Sarda

Logline: Black Barbie celebrates the momentous impact three Black women at Mattel had on the evolution of the Barbie brand as we know it. Through these charismatic insiders’ stories, the documentary tells the story of how the first Black Barbie came to be in 1980, examining the importance of representation and how dolls can be crucial to the formation of identity and imagination.

A work-in-progress cut of the film premiered to critical acclaim at SXSW 2023.

Quote from Lagueria Davis: “Telling Black Barbie’s story has been such a personal journey and it warms my heart to celebrate the legacy of my aunt Beulah Mae Mitchell, Kitty Black Perkins, and Stacey McBride Irby in our film. We couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than Shondaland and Netflix to bring this story to the world.”