Today, Netflix and Shondland announced their acquisition of Black Barbie: A Documentary, the film that premiered to critical acclaim during SXSW earlier this year.
Directed by Lagueria Davis, Black Barbie celebrates the momentous impact three Black women at Mattel had on the evolution of the Barbie brand as it evolved into what it is presently. Through several accounts the documentary tells the story of how the first Black Barbie came to be in 1980, and “examined the importance of representation and how dolls can be crucial to the formation of identity and imagination,” the logline reads.
“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,” Davis said in a statement. “We couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than Shondaland and Netflix to bring this story to the world.”
Black Barbie: A Documentary is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers for Shondaland, Grace Lay and Sumalee Montano for LinLay Productions, Camilla Hall for Lady & Bird Films, along with Milan Chakraborty and Jyoti Sarda. Producers also include Aaliyah Williams for Just A Rebel, Lagueria Davis for Lovely Day Films.