The documentary about the iconic 11.5 inch toy figure and its cultural effect premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was selected as a special presentation at the Hot Docs Festival

Los Angeles/London – May 10, 2018 – Entertainment One (eOne) and Hulu today announced a deal on the thought-provoking documentary Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie following its Hot Docs screening. eOne will handle distribution outside the US on the film from Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning writer/director Andrea Nevins and producer Cristan Crocker. The film launched on Hulu April 27.

“The appetite for quality, authored documentaries is growing fast and the exclusive access Andrea and Cristan were granted and observed, coupled with the insight on how we see beauty, stereotypes and women’s progress in the Western world created a must-see film,” said Stuart Baxter, eOne’s President, International Distribution.

In her 59 years, Barbie has become a fashion icon, a lightning rod and a topic among feminists. Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie, featuring newly discovered footage and unprecedented access to the inner workings of a toy giant during Barbie’s biggest reinvention, surveys 60 years of women in popular culture through the lens of this 11.5 inch, Zelig-like plastic icon. Featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay, Peggy Orenstein, Mattel insiders and cultural historians, the documentary reveals, through both funny and fascinating archival material, and fly-on-the-wall observations of Barbie’s current architects, the progression and regression in the fight for gender equality. 

Nevins is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy award-winning director, producer and writer. Her keen interest in lives-in-transition led her to chronicle retired dancers given a late-in-life chance to perform. Still Kicking, her first independent documentary, earned her the Academy Award nomination. Crocker started her career in front of the camera as a commercial and television actress. This production experience, along with more than 20 years as an informal critic for hundreds of television pilots as an entertainment industry insider, gave her a deep understanding of story and audience. Their first film together, The Other F Word, premiered at SXSW, and won quick theatrical distribution by Oscilloscope and network broadcast on Showtime. Following the success of The Other F Word, Rare Bird Films produced two successful football related documentaries, Play It Forward for Showtime and State of Play: Happiness for HBO, in collaboration with Michael Strahan and Peter Berg.

Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie is produced by Nevins and Crocker’s Rare Birds Films. The film is written and directed by Nevins, Crocker serves as a Producer. Azin Samari served as editor. The deal was brokered by Noel Hedges, eOne’s SVP, Acquisitions, International Distribution.

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