Hulu is continuing its documentary push. The streamer has landed the U.S. rights to Homeroom, a feature doc from Peter Nicks and exec produced by Ryan Coogler.
Homeroom, which was an official selection at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is the final chapter in a trilogy of films examining the relationship between health care, criminal justice, and education in Oakland, CA over the past decade.
Nicks previously directed 2012’s The Waiting Room, set in a public hospital, and 2017’s Thr Force, which covers the troubled Oakland Police Department, both of which will also be streaming on Hulu.
The film follows Oakland High School’s class of 2020 as they confront an unprecedented year. Anxiety over test scores and college applications gives way to uncertainty springing from a rapidly developing pandemic. Efforts to eliminate the school district’s police force unfold against the backdrop of growing nationwide demands for systemic change.
It is the latest doc for the streamer, which is premiering three-part bigfoot murder mystery Sasquatch today, April 20, and has launched Minding The Gap, Crime + Punishment, I Am Greta, Ask Dr. Ruth and Hillary.
Nicks directed the film and produced it with Sean Havey. It was produced by A Concordia Studio, Open’hood production, in association with XTR and Proximity Media with Ryan Coogler as an exec producer alongside Laurene Powell Jobs, Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott, Jonathan Silberberg, Jen Rainin, Tony Hsieh, Bryn Mooser, and Kathryn Everett.
Editors Kristina Motwani and Rebecca Adorno won the new Sundance Joshua Oppenheim Editing Award, U.S. Documentary for their work on the film.
It will launch later this year. The film was brokered by Cinetic and CAA Media Finance.
“Homeroom is a timely and empowering story that celebrates the courage and tenacity of young people today. Pete Nicks is a true visionary and vibrant storyteller, and we’re incredibly proud to champion his collective work,” said Belisa Balaban, VP Original Documentaries, Hulu.
“Pete Nicks is a master filmmaker with an uncanny ability to bring us closer to subjects that are important to our social fabric, but so often overlooked. Homeroom ushers us into the lives of Oakland high school students as they prepare for all of the ritual rites of passage into adulthood, who through the uprising of last summer, suddenly find their voices. The film speaks to the power of young people at a time when we still see them silenced, discounted, and their lives being snuffed out by state powers. Homeroom is essential filmmaking, and I couldn’t be prouder to be involved with bringing this film to the world,” said Proximity Media’s Ryan Coogler.
“We are thrilled that Pete Nicks’ beautiful film has found a home at Hulu. We can’t wait for audiences to engage with the vision and passion of Oakland High’s Class of 2020, during a truly extraordinary year,” added Nicole Stott and Jonathan Silberberg of Concordia Studio.