Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment have acquired worldwide rights to Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair.

The film, produced by HBO Films, premiered at Sundance where it won the special jury prize in the US Documentary category. It charts the rise of African-American hair culture and its influence on the lives of black people. Jeff Stilson and Rock produced with Nelson George, Kevin O’Donnell and Jenny Hunter.

Roadside plans to release the film in North America in the autumn. Lionsgate will handle home video and other ancillary rights and HBO will retain pay cable rights.

ICM represented the film and negotiated the deal alongside Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming and West Coast operations, and executive vice-president of business and legal affairs Glenn Whitehead with Howard Cohen on behalf of Roadside Attractions and Robb Klein of Sheppard Mullin on behalf of Liddell Entertainment.

Good hair is an HBO Films presentation of a Zahrlo production and an Urban Romances production.