August M
Meghan Markle’s latest film project received applause at its festival debut.
But behind the warm reception, industry insiders say the documentary is facing a difficult commercial climate.
Festival debut buzz
According to reporting by the Daily Express, the documentary Cookie Queens premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on January 25 and was met with a standing ovation.
Although Meghan and Prince Harry do not appear in the film, they are credited as executive producers and attended the screening.
The documentary, directed by Alysa Nahmias, follows four Girl Scouts as they bake and sell cookies, offering a portrait of youth, ambition and tradition.
During an early-morning screening, Meghan introduced Nahmias to the audience. “Yes, it’s probably the cutest film at the festival,” she said. “But I’m also going to go out on a limb and say it’s one of the most powerful and meaningful depictions of an American tradition.”
Distribution uncertainty
Despite the positive audience response, the film has not yet secured a public distribution deal.
The International Documentary Association (IDA) noted that while some nonfiction titles arrived at Sundance with distribution in place, “the vast majority of documentaries were still looking for a home, with not a single reported acquisition deal so far.”
As reported by Newsweek, Nahmias acknowledged the broader challenges facing filmmakers. Speaking to the IDA, she said: “The market is really awful right now and it’s been so hard for so many of us. We can choose to feel powerless—or maybe we are powerless—but I do want to believe that things can change.”
Her comments reflect wider concerns about a slowdown in documentary acquisitions across the industry.
A personal project
The film was produced by Archewell Productions in partnership with Beautiful Stories and AJNA Films.
For Meghan, the project carries personal meaning. She was a Girl Scout while growing up in California, and her mother, Doria Ragland, served as her troop leader.
In introducing the documentary, Meghan said it takes “something that is rooted in nostalgia” and reframes it through Nahmias’s perspective to offer a contemporary look at “the girlhood experience”.
While festival applause can generate momentum, the coming weeks may determine whether Cookie Queens finds a distributor in what its director describes as a challenging market.
Sources: Daily Express; Newsweek; International Documentary Association.
