Freestyle Digital Media has acquired the rights to “Grandpa Was an Emperor,” the critically acclaimed documentary about the family of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. The digital distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, the parent company of theGrio, announced that the film premieres May 30.
“Grandpa was an Emperor” chronicles the story of Yeshi Kassa, the great-granddaughter of Emperor Haile. As the synopsis reads, the film follows Kassa as she “embarks on a personal quest to discover what happened to her closest relatives during the coup of 1974.”
Director Constance Marks’ film tells the story of how Kassa, her siblings and parents were in grave danger after Emperor Haile, who was also a Rastafarian idol, was deposed during a revolution. Family members recall the past as they discuss the events that led to the fall of the 3,000-year empire and how the family survived during this tumultuous time.
Kassa, who was in a British boarding school with her sister during the revolution, uncovers family history and reflects on how she walked the line between privilege and trauma in her childhood.
Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo and Solome Williams are the executive producers. Marks is the filmmaker best known for the acclaimed documentary, “Being Elmo.”
“Grandpa Was an Emperor” is scheduled to premiere Tuesday on AppleTV, iTunes and Amazon.
The film will also be available to rent or own through YouTube Movies, Google Play, Dish Network and Sling TV, DirecTV, iN DEMAND (Spectrum, Comcast), Vubiquity (Verizon Fios), Hoopla, Swank, Xbox and AT&T U-Verse.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today!