Jennifer Hudson to Sing Title Anthem ‘I’ll Fight,’ Written by Diane Warren, for ‘RBG’ Documentary About Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Acclaimed Film from Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, CNN Films to Open in Theaters May 4th
Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson will sing “I’ll Fight,” the stirring, powerful anthem for RBG, a documentary about the life and legal legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The original song is written and arranged by the Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe-winning, and 9-time Academy Award-nominated, songwriter Diane Warren. The song will be released by Epic Records on Friday, May 4, to coincide with the domestic release of the film. The music single, “I’ll Fight,” sung by Jennifer Hudson, will be available wherever music is sold.
RBG is told through the voices of Ginsburg’s friends, former clients and colleagues, and includes interviews with historic figures and her family, including Gloria Steinem, Eugene Scalia, NPR’s Nina Totenberg, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Lilly Ledbetter, and others. In recent years, Justice Ginsburg, now approaching her 25th year of service on the U.S. Supreme Court in the summer of 2018, has also become an intergenerational pop culture icon. West’s and Cohen’s extraordinary access for the film includes interviews with Justice Ginsburg that are interwoven with never-before-seen home movies, images, and scenes from her career achievements and her private life. Throughout the film, there is an exploration of her decades-long romance with her husband, the late Martin Ginsburg, whom she credits with making her contributions to American life possible.
“Last year, I wrote, ‘Stand Up For Something’ for Marshall, the film about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Now, I have written a song, ‘I’ll Fight,’ for another legendary Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It has been an honor to write a song about such a badass, inspiring, and iconic woman. And, it’s a dream-come-true to have my friend, Jennifer Hudson, one of the greatest voices on the planet, sing this song,” said Warren.
Bonnie Greenberg, executive music producer for RBG, collaborated with the production to ensure that the anthem would enhance and support the visual images of the film. Greenberg brought in Diane Warren to write the inspirational song, ‘I’ll Fight;’ Jennifer Hudson’s soaring vocals make the anthem transformational.
RBG is directed and produced by award-winning filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen and is co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films. RBG is executive produced by Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton of CNN Films; the film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where it was acquired by Magnolia Pictures and Participant Media for worldwide distribution, including theatrical, home video, SVOD, and international television. CNN Films has U.S. broadcast rights to the film.
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IMAGES FOR DOWNLOAD (http://www.magpictures.com/rbg/press-kit/)
About MAGNOLIA PICTURES
Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically-integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also includes the Landmark Theatres chain and AXS TV. Recent releases include Raoul Peck and James Baldwin’s Oscar-nominated I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO; LUCKY, John Carroll Lynch’s directorial debut starring iconic character actor Harry Dean Stanton; Cannes Palme d’Or winner and Oscar-nominated THE SQUARE, Ruben Östlund’s darkly humorous drama set against the backdrop of the international art world; Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe winner IN THE FADE, Fatih Akin’s riveting revenge drama starring Cannes Best Actress Award winner Diane Kruger; and THE FINAL YEAR, an unprecedented insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during their last year in office. Upcoming releases include THE CHINA HUSTLE, an unsettling and eye-opening Wall Street horror story about Chinese companies, the American stock market, and the opportunistic greed behind the biggest heist you’ve never heard of; THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRE, Kate Novack’s chronicle of the life and career of fashion icon Andre Leon Talley; and RBG, award-winning filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s documentary about the consequential life and legal legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
About Participant Media
Founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, Participant Media’s (www.participantmedia.com) content combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for real world impact and awareness around the most pressing global issues of our time. As an industry content leader, Participant annually produces up to six narrative feature films, five documentary films, three episodic television series, and more than 40 hours of digital short form programming, through its digital subsidiary SoulPancake—all aimed at entertainment that inspires social awareness and engaging audiences to participate in positive social change. Participant’s content and social impact mandate speaks directly to the rise of today’s “conscious consumer,” representing over 2 billion consumers who are compelled to make impactful content a priority focus. Through its worldwide network of traditional and digital distribution, aligned with partnerships with key non-profit and NGO organizations, Participant is positioned uniquely within the industry to engage a rapidly growing audience while bringing global awareness and action to today’s most vital issues. Participant’s more than 75 films, including Spotlight, Contagion, Lincoln, The Help, He Named Me Malala, The Look of Silence, CITIZENFOUR, Food, Inc. and An Inconvenient Truth, have collectively earned 52 Academy Award® nominations and 11 wins, including Best Picture for Spotlight. Participant’s digital entertainment division, SoulPancake (www.soulpancake.com), is an award-winning provider of thought-provoking, joyful, and uplifting digital content including such widely popular series as Kid President and The Science of Happiness and reaches an audience of nearly 9 million fans. Follow Participant Media on Twitter at @Participant and on Facebook and Instagram. Follow SoulPancake on Twitter @soulpancake and on Facebook and Instagram.
About CNN Films
CNN Films, now celebrating its fifth year, produces and acquires documentary feature and short films for theatrical and festival exhibition and distribution across CNN’s multiple platforms. Recent acclaimed CNN Films presentations include: LIFE ITSELF, directed by Steve James; the News & Documentary Emmy®-winning Dinosaur 13, directed by Todd Miller; THE REAGAN SHOW, co-directed by Pacho Velez and Sierra Pettengill; Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me directed by James Keach; and, JEREMIAH TOWER: The Last Magnificent, directed by Lydia Tenaglia, and productions include RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; LOVE, GILDA, directed by Lisa D’Apolito; and Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development, oversees the strategy for CNN Films; Courtney Sexton, vice president for CNN Films, works day-to-day with filmmakers to oversee projects. For more information about CNN Films, please visit www.CNN.com/CNNFilms and follow @CNNFilms via Twitter.
About Storyville Films
Storyville Films was founded by Oren Jacoby to develop and produce documentaries and series driven by strong personal narratives of conscience, courage, and innovation. Among Storyville’s productions are SHADOWMAN (2018), MY ITALIAN SECRET (2015), MAKERS: Women Who Make America (2013), CONSTANTINE’S SWORD (2007), and SISTER ROSE’S PASSION (2004), a 2005 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Short.
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Contacts
Jennifer Dargan, CNN Films jennifer.dargan@turner.com 404.247.4175
George Nicholis, Magnolia Films gnicholis@magpictures.com 212.924.6701