Neon Acquires 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem' Following Heated Sundance Bidding War

The acclaimed Harlem Renaissance documentary, originally filmed in 1972 by the late William Greaves, beat out Netflix, Sony Pictures Classics, and Mubi en route to a theatrical release later this year.

Neon, the independent distributor behind Oscar winners Parasite and Anora, has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Once Upon a Time in Harlem following a competitive bidding war that included Netflix, Sony Pictures Classics, Mubi, and the Criterion Collection. The studio plans a theatrical release later this year.

The documentary, which earned widespread critical acclaim following its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, was conceived and filmed in 1972 by the late pioneering filmmaker William Greaves. His son, David Greaves — who served as one of the original cameramen — restored and directed the finished film using his father's notes and workprints.

Shot on 16mm at Duke Ellington's Harlem townhouse, the film captures a remarkable gathering that Greaves orchestrated with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. For four hours, the group of artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals — many of whom had not seen each other in 50 years — reminisced, debated, laughed, and reflected on the cultural revolution they helped set in motion and the changes they witnessed in the neighborhood they called home.

Producer Anne de Mare worked with William Greaves' wife and creative partner, Louise Archambault Greaves, to preserve and digitize over 60,000 feet of previously unseen 16mm footage shot in 1972. Louise co-founded William Greaves Productions in 1963 and continued efforts to restore his films after his death in 2014 until her own passing in 2023. Over 50 years later, David Greaves curated the footage into a 100-minute documentary. The film is produced by David's granddaughter, Liani Greaves.

—The documentary currently holds a 94 on Metacritic and a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best-reviewed title to emerge from this year's Sundance lineup. Early awards prognosticators have already pegged it as a likely contender for next year's Best Documentary Oscar nomination.

The deal was negotiated by Sarah Colvin, Vice President of Acquisitions for Neon, and Jason Ishikawa and Isadora Johnson of Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers. The acquisition marks Neon's second pickup from Sundance 2026, following its deal for the queer horror film Leviticus.