Citizen Ashe

Citizen Ashe is an 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.

Citizen Ashe
Poster featuring a tennis player.
Promotional release poster
Directed by
Produced by
Edited by
  • Lewis Rapkin
  • R.A. Fedde
  • Federico Rosenzvit
  • Ben Sozanski
Music byJongnic Bontemps
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 3, 2021 (2021-09-03) (Telluride)
  • December 3, 2021 (2021-12-03) (United States)
Running time
95 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 3, 2021. It began 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
  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. 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.
  7. "Citizen Ashe". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  8. "Citizen Ashe". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
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