Rape of Recy Taylor Among Starz’s New Doc Acquisitions

Starz has picked up a number of exclusive, first-run documentaries, including The Rape of Recy Taylor, which are becoming available for broadcast, download or streaming this year.

The Rape of Recy Taylor centers on the titular African-American woman who, after being raped by six white men in Alabama in 1944, sought justice with help from the NAACP, Rosa Parks and more. The doc is scheduled to debut on July 2.

Other documentaries include McLaren (March 12), about the sportsman/engineer who became famous during Formula One motor racing in the 1960s; Pecking Order (March 26), spotlighting Kiwi chicken breeders from the 2015 National Poultry Show; and Sled Dogs (April 9), which reveals the ugly truth about the dog-sledding industry.

There is also Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction (April 23), shedding light on the Armenian Genocide; What Haunts Us (May 14), about how six men who graduated from the same South Carolina high school in 1979 have committed suicide; Stranger Fruit (June 18), focused on the 2014 police shooting of Mike Brown in Missouri; and Love & Bananas (June 30), in which a team of rescuers try to save a captive blind elephant in Thailand.

“We are acquiring an eclectic slate of documentaries that not only strategically align with Starz Original series but also present engaging subjects, provocative conflicts and authentic storytelling,” remarked C. Brett Marottoli, the head of program acquisitions at Starz.