The much-anticipated documentary Hitsville: The Making of Motown now has a U.S. release date and an official trailer. Showtime Networks will premiere the film on the evening of Saturday, August 24.
The film documents the history of Motown Records and its achievements through new, exclusive interviews with founder Berry Gordy and many of its superstar artists and creative figures, including Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. It focuses on the music company’s birth in Detroit in the late 1950s, covering its development and path-breaking success before its move to Los Angeles in 1972.
The trailer is available below. Expected soon is news about the documentary’s release in the U.K. and Ireland, where it has been acquired by Altitude Filmed Entertainment.
Hitsville: The Making of Motown is the first official documentary about the company, and includes rare performance and behind-the-scenes footage, sourced from Motown’s own vaults and Gordy’s personal archives.
The film, directed by Benjamin and Gabe Turner of Britain’s Fulwell 73, will make its Detroit premiere August 23 in a one-time showing presented by the Motown Museum, Motown Records and Showtime. A Los Angeles red carpet event is expected in early August.
Motown Records will release the movie soundtrack, which is available for pre-order now. The album will include music by Wonder, Robinson, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Supremes, the Jackson 5 and others.
The executive producers of Hitsville: The Making of Motown include Gordy and Motown Records president Ethiopia Habtemariam.
