Citizen Ashe

Citizen Ashe
Citizen Ashe
	Promotional release poster
Directed by	Rex Miller; Sam Pollard;
Produced by	Rex Miller; Steven Cantor; Anna Godas; Jamie Schultz; Beth Hubbard; Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe;
Edited by	Lewis Rapkin; R.A. Fedde; Federico Rosenzvit; Ben Sozanski;
Music by	Jongnic Bontemps
Production; companies	CNN Films; Dogwoof; Stick Figure Productions; Rexpix; Get Lifted Film Company; Artemis Rising;
Distributed by	Magnolia Pictures; HBO Max;
Release dates	September 3, 2021 (Telluride); December 3, 2021 (United States);
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	United States; United Kingdom;
Language	English

Citizen Ashe is a 2021 American-British documentary film directed by Rex Miller and Sam Pollard revolving around the life and career of Arthur Ashe. Alex Gibney and John Legend were two of the executive producers.

Its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 3, 2021 was followed by a limited release by Magnolia Pictures on December 3, 2021.

Synopsis

Citizen Ashe tells the story of tennis champion and civil rights activist Arthur Ashe, as he rises to prominence after becoming the first African American to win the US Open in 1968. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy jumpstart Ashe's political activism and provide him with a platform for social change.^[1] Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Johnnie Ashe, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Donald Dell, Lenny Simpson and Harry Edwards appear in the film.^[2]

Production

In July 2021, it was announced that Miller and Pollard had directed a film revolving around the life of Ashe, with CNN Films producing and HBO Max distributing.^[3]

Release

It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 3, 2021.^[4] It was also screened at the Camden International Film Festival on September 19, 2021.^[5] It had a limited release on December 3, 2021, by Magnolia Pictures.^[6]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "If Citizen Ashe sometimes wavers toward hagiography, this warm tribute to an extraordinary life makes it easy to understand why."^[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[8]

Awards


Year	Award	Notes
2022	FOCAL International Awards	Nominee - Best Use of Footage in a Cinematic Feature Nominee - Best Use of Footage in a Sports Production
2022	Black Reel Awards	Nominee - Outstanding Documentary

References

^ Vlessing, Etan (15 July 2021). "CNN Films, HBO Max Nab 'Citizen Ashe' Doc for 2022 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
^ "CNN Films and HBO Max Partner to Bring Citizen Ashe to Screens; Film is Produced by Dogwoof, Rexpix and Stick Figure Productions". CNN. July 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
^ Ferme, Antonio (July 15, 2021). "CNN Films to Explore Arthur Ashe's Legacy On Tennis And HIV Activism In New Documentary". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
^ Hammond, Pete (September 1, 2021). "Telluride Film Festival: Will Smith's 'King Richard', Peter Dinklage Musical 'Cyrano', Joaquin Phoenix In 'C'mon C'mon', Ken Branagh's 'Belfast' Set To Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- "Telluride Film Festival Program Guide" (PDF). Telluride Film Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
^ "The Camden International Film Festival Announces Its 2021 Hybrid Edition Lineup". Filmmaker. August 23, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- "Citizen Ashe". Points North Institute. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
^ Davis, Clayton (October 8, 2021). "Magnolia Pictures Boards Documentary 'Citizen Ashe' for Oscar-Qualifying Theatrical Run". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
^ "Citizen Ashe". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
^ "Citizen Ashe". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2023.

External links

Citizen Ashe at IMDb

[1] Vlessing, Etan (15 July 2021). "CNN Films, HBO Max Nab 'Citizen Ashe' Doc for 2022 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 December 2022.

[2] "CNN Films and HBO Max Partner to Bring Citizen Ashe to Screens; Film is Produced by Dogwoof, Rexpix and Stick Figure Productions". CNN. July 15, 2021. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.

[3] Ferme, Antonio (July 15, 2021). "CNN Films to Explore Arthur Ashe's Legacy On Tennis And HIV Activism In New Documentary". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2021.

[4] Hammond, Pete (September 1, 2021). "Telluride Film Festival: Will Smith's 'King Richard', Peter Dinklage Musical 'Cyrano', Joaquin Phoenix In 'C'mon C'mon', Ken Branagh's 'Belfast' Set To Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- "Telluride Film Festival Program Guide" (PDF). Telluride Film Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.

[5] "The Camden International Film Festival Announces Its 2021 Hybrid Edition Lineup". Filmmaker. August 23, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- "Citizen Ashe". Points North Institute. Retrieved September 3, 2021.

[6] Davis, Clayton (October 8, 2021). "Magnolia Pictures Boards Documentary 'Citizen Ashe' for Oscar-Qualifying Theatrical Run". Variety. Retrieved October 8, 2021.

[Rotten_Tomatoes-7] "Citizen Ashe". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2023.

[Metacritic-8] "Citizen Ashe". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2023.

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