Bravo Media Acquires Rights to Sundance Documentary QUEEN OF VERSAILLES

Bravo Media acquired the TV rights for the critically lauded Sundance documentary, THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, directed by acclaimed filmmaker and photographer Lauren Greenfield - who won Best Director at Sundance 2012 for this documentary. THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES filmed over three years, intimately captures the innate virtues and flaws of the American dream as an abundantly wealthy family's fortunes turn. The documentary will premiere in 2013 on Bravo. 

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES struck an immediate chord for us, depicting in intense and compelling detail, the impact of the recession through the experience of one very affluent family," said Frances Berwick, President of Bravo Media and Style. "It's gripping, veritile filmmaking at its finest and the perfect film to kick off Bravo's new thought and talk-provoking documentary strand for our highly educated audience."

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES is an insightful and entertaining documentary about billionaires Jackie and David Siegel, who are constructing the largest house in America - a 90,000 square foot dream home modeled after the palace of Versailles. As a result of the financial crisis, their extravagant plans are put on hold. David's time-share business runs into difficulties, and the filmmaker captures the Siegel's turn of fortune. While delivering big laughs, "The Queen of Versailles" also manages to be a moving, clear-eyed snapshot of a unique and sobering moment in our history, as we are forced to reevaluate the sustainability of the American dream.

"I am pleased to be working with Bravo to present 'The Queen of Versailles' to a mass TV audience" said Greenfield. "It is rare that Bravo acquires a feature-length documentary, but this seems like a perfect match and there could not be a more interesting audience for this film."

Acclaimed documentary photographer/filmmaker, Greenfield is considered a preeminent chronicler of youth culture, gender and consumerism, as a result of her monographs "Girl Culture," "Fast Forward," "THIN" and other photographic works, which have been widely published, exhibited, and collected by leading museums around the world. Her latest feature-length documentary film, "The Queen of Versailles" was selected as the Opening Night film of Sundance 2012 where it garnered critical acclaim and won the Best Director Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition. In addition to "The Queen of Versailles," Lauren has previously directed three award-winning documentary films - "THIN," "kids + money," and "Beauty CULTure." Her work was recently showcased in the Getty Museum's historical exhibition, "Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties" (2010).

THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES is an Evergreen Pictures production. Its producers are Lauren Greenfield, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Frank Evers and Dan Cogan. Magnolia Pictures bought the film immediately after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and is releasing it in theaters this Summer. The Bravo deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by Josh Braun of Submarine.

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