CNN Films to Premiere “Little Richard: I Am Everything” for TV on Monday, September 4 @ 9PM ET/PT

Little Richard: I Am Everything, from Academy Award® nominated and Emmy-winning director Lisa Cortés, will premiere for television on Monday, September 4 @ 9PM ET/PT on CNN. Heralded as “a sublime tribute,” and “the enthralling documentary that Little Richard deserves,” the film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman.

“I made this film because the story of Little Richard is the story of rock ‘n roll – and rock ‘n roll is the American idiom,” says Cortés. “Little Richard embodies all the complexity of our country: its paradoxes and cruelties, its beauty and its genius.”

Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings viewers into Richard’s complicated inner world, Little Richard: I Am Everything unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions. In interviews with family, musicians, and cutting-edge Black and queer scholars, including Nona Hendryx, Mick Jagger, Sir Lady Java, Tom Jones, Jason King, Billy Porter, Nile Rodgers, and John Waters, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression – yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself.

“The film is aptly called I am Everything – Little Richard’s life representing an important, albeit unexpected, journey through music,” said producer Robert Friedman. “He finally receives his long overdue recognition and well-deserved place in pop culture.”

Little Richard: I Am Everything is produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment for CNN Films and Max, in association with Rolling Stone Films. Robert Friedman, Lisa Cortés, Liz Yale Marsh, and Caryn Capotosto are producers. The film is executive produced by Mike Powers, Anita May Rosenstein, and Dee Rees; Jason Fine and Gus Wenner for Rolling Stone Films; and Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton for CNN Films. The film was released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures.

Little Richard: I Am Everything will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN OTT, and mobile apps on Monday, September 4. The film will be available on demand beginning Tuesday, September 5 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN apps, and Cable Operator Platforms.