First Run Features has acquired all North American rights to Crayton Robey’s Making The Boys on the eve of its North American premiere at Silverdocs.

The documentary’s director and producers came together through the All Access programme at The Tribeca Film Institute.

Originally shown as a work-in-progress at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, Making The Boys had its world premiere at the Berlinale earlier this year. It tells the story of Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking 1960s play The Boys In The Band, a cultural phenomenon that went from being an overnight Broadway sensation to Hollywood’s first gay film.

Douglas Tirola and Susan Bedusa of 4th Row Films produced the film, which includes footage from the period and interviews with the likes of Crowley and Friedkin, who adapted th play into a feature in 1970.

First Run Features plans an autumn theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, to be followed by a slow roll-out across North America.

“The story, struggles and themes in our film are universal and just as The Boys In The Band had a diverse and passionate following, we believe the strategy First Run is setting forth will bring a similarly diverse audience to our documentary,” Tirola said.