On Feb. 5 Neon beat out Netflix, Mubi and Criterion Collection for William and David Greaves’ “Once Upon a Time in Harlem.” The documentary captured a 1972 party William Greaves engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance.
It is the second film the American distribution company acquired from the 2026 festival. In late January, the company purchased Adrian Chiarella’s queer, coming-of-age horror film “Leviticus.”
Another 2026 documentary, “The Last First: Winter K2,” was acquired by Apple. IndieWire reports the film’s director, Amir Bar-Lev, has a track record of delivering documentary hits on a wide range of topics.
So far, six Sundance films have been acquired after premiering with about a dozen more entering the festival already with distributors.
