Onyx Collective & ABC News Acquire Aftershock Doc

Onyx Collective and ABC News have jointly acquired the documentary Aftershock following its debut as an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

Aftershock, highlighting the alarming number of Black women that are failed by the U.S. maternal health system, centers on two mothers-to-be whose deaths due to childbirth complications were preventable. The documentary will stream as an original film from Onyx Collective on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories.

In the doc, directors Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee follow Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac’s bereaved partners, Omari Maynard and Bruce McIntyre, as they fight for justice and build communities of support. Their experiences are punctuated with condemning historical context that shows how gynecology has long exploited and neglected Black women in America.

Aftershock won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change.

Tara Duncan, president of Onyx Collective and Freeform, said: “Aftershock is an emotional and urgent story that demands our attention. Paula and Tonya have captured the resilience and will of Black families to ignite a positive impact on this national health crisis for women in America. I am proud to partner with Kim Godwin and have Onyx Collective and ABC News honor and amplify the legacies of Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac.”

Kim Godwin, president of ABC News, said: “Aftershock is an essential and devastating documentary on the lived experience of pregnant Black women that immediately draws an emotional connection to the memories of the mothers who passed away. I’m incredibly proud to have ABC News Studios, together with Tara Duncan and Onyx Collective, shine a light on an epidemic affecting Black women in disproportionate numbers. The journey the family and friends take to fight a medical system that has failed them is one many people should witness.”

Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee, directors and producers, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Disney’s Onyx Collective and ABC News to honor and uplift the lives of Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac. We hope audiences will be as inspired and empowered as we are by their families’ trailblazing work to ensure the best birthing outcomes for all Americans.”