Blue Ant Media has acquired the global licensing rights to Rory Kennedy’s feature documentary The Trial of Alec Baldwin, setting up an international sales push at Mipcom after Abramorama locked down a U.S. theatrical release for October.
A two-window rights structure
The agreement splits the film’s commercial path in two. Abramorama will handle the domestic theatrical run, giving the title a U.S. launch window, while Blue Ant Rights & Streaming will shop broadcast and streaming licenses across international markets. The deal was negotiated for Blue Ant by Valentina Daley, VP Acquisitions, Blue Ant Rights & Streaming.
What buyers are being offered
The film tracks Baldwin through the personal and legal fallout from the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. Kennedy, the Oscar-nominated director behind Ethel and Last Days in Vietnam, first approached Baldwin in March 2023 and began filming later that spring. The documentary includes previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage and reconstructs events surrounding Hutchins’ death.
- U.S. theatrical window: Abramorama’s October release creates an early market signal for international buyers.
- Rights split: Blue Ant holds licensing rights outside the U.S. across broadcast and streaming.
- Sales timing: The title heads to Mipcom, where Blue Ant will pitch international broadcasters and streamers.
- Access angle: Unseen footage and event reconstruction are positioned as the film’s point of difference.
Why this matters for the screen business
For content buyers and platform executives, this is a useful test of how celebrity-access documentaries travel outside the news cycle. The Rust case generated extensive global coverage, so the title arrives with built-in awareness. The commercial question is whether that recognition translates into licensing demand, or whether buyers wait for U.S. theatrical and critical response before committing.
For pricing, the film sits inside the premium factual documentary category, where access and public recognition can justify a higher license fee. But the subject matter is sensitive, so local compliance and editorial positioning could influence which platforms step forward.
Blue Ant’s SVP of Acquisitions, Barnaby Shingleton, framed the pitch around the film’s “extraordinary access,” saying it puts audiences in the room as key developments unfold. Kennedy added that the goal is to give international audiences “a different perspective” on a story that raised difficult questions about celebrity, media scrutiny and public judgment.
No financial terms were disclosed. For ScreenStat readers, the takeaway is structural: the documentary is moving through a classic festival-and-market pipeline — domestic theatrical first, then international rights sales — with Mipcom as the key moment to watch for platform or broadcaster pickups.
Source: Deadline
