EXCLUSIVE: Streaming service discovery+ has just acquired the LD Entertainment documentary Introducing, Selma Blair ahead of its world premiere at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. A streaming date is planned for later this year.
The Rachel Fleit directed docu is a raw and intimate look at a year in the life of actress, Selma Blair, after she is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis — an autoimmune disease which has no cure. Introducing, Selma Blair follows the actress in her resilience as she battles her disease, grappling with challenges such as dissecting deep-rooted myths about beauty, the collective fear around disability and mortality, as well as the struggle for self-acceptance and the search for serenity. Complete with her trademark wit and humor, the film follows Blair as she reconciles a life-altering diagnosis and begins on a journey of monumental transition.
“Selma is a force. An actress, mother and now disability advocate. Her brave fight against MS and her openness to share her deeply personal story through tears and laughter makes it a tale of tremendous perseverance and one we all need right now,” says Igal Svet, VP, Documentaries, discovery+. “We have made it our goal to support new voices, and Rachel’s stunning debut is a terrific representation of everything we look to showcase on discovery+.”
“I am beyond pleased and proud to have discovery+ be the home for my film ‘debut’ and for believing in the power of storytelling as a way to connect us all. I may be the subject of this film but my hope is that everyone sees themselves in it and finds some strength and joy they may not have known they had,” says Blair.
“My connection with Selma was instantaneous. From our very first FaceTime together, I immediately understood who she was — disarming, charming, raw, real, and true,” says Fleit. “From the onset , I wanted to tell this story about a different way of being in the world. I am humbled and honored that Selma trusted me to tell her story. I couldn’t be happier to be part of the discovery+ family.”
Introducing, Selma Blair is produced by LD’s Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon with Troy Nankin. Cass Bird is EP The deal was negotiated by Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers.
Blair starred in such features as Legally Blonde, Cruel Intentions, The Sweetest Thing, Hellboy, In Good Company, After and its sequel After We Collided, and such series as Netflix’s Another Life, Lost in Space, Anger Management, Kath & Kim and American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson as Kris Jenner.