Documentary ‘Procession’ Acquired by Netflix for Oscar Run (Exclusive)

Robert Greene's film centers on six men who survived childhood sexual assault at the hands of Catholic priests and clergy.

Robert Greene‘s Procession, a documentary feature about six men who survived childhood sexual assault at the hands of Catholic priests and clergy, has been acquired by Netflix, which intends to mount a full-fledged Oscar campaign for it, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The film premiered earlier this month at the Telluride Film Festival, where it instantly began generating buzz as a potential Oscar player. In the hands of Netflix, which distributed three of the last four best documentary feature Oscar winners (2017’s Icarus, 2019’s American Factory and 2020’s My Octopus Teacher), its prospects look even brighter.

Netflix plans to release the film this fall.

Greene is known as an innovative filmmaker who blends traditional documentary techniques with performance elements in his films. In Procession, for instance, the survivors — Joe EldredMike ForemanEd GavaganDan LaurineMichael Sandridge and Tom Viviano — not only recount their stories, but also create fictional scenes depicting rituals of power in the church based on memories, dreams and experiences. As one of the men says in the film, “Spotlight was about trying to get in from the outside. In our film, we’re inside trying to get out.”

Greene’s producers on the film were Douglas Tirola and Susan Bedusa for 4th Row Films and Bennett Elliott. EPs were Laurene Powell Jobs, Davis Guggenheim, Nicole Stott and Jonathan Silberberg for Concordia; Jenny Raskin and Geralyn White Dreyfous for Impact Partners; and Regina K. Scully and Patty Quillin.

Cinetic brokered the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.