Launching Higher Ground Productions was a dream come true for former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama. Since it was founded in 2018, Higher Ground Productions has produced works in film, television, as well as documentaries and podcasts. However, much of its productions have been in television and documentaries.
Over its five-year existence, Higher Ground Productions has worked with independent, super-talented, new, and established directors, screenwriters, and actors. As of the end of 2023, the production company has produced and released four feature-length films. These are the four feature films produced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions company.
Fatherhood (2021)
Released on Netflix on June 18, 2021, Fatherhood is Higher Ground Productions’ first-ever produced feature film. Its screenplay was written by its director Paul Weitz (American Pie and Little Fockers) and Dana Stevens (City of Angels and For Love of the Game). The 109-minute comedy-drama starred Kevin Hart as Matthew Logelin, a single parent who chooses to raise his daughter by himself. Fatherhood (2021) is one of Kevin Hart’s against-type performances as an actor. Although the movie received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, Hart’s performance received praise. Fatherhood (2021) also starred Alfre Woodard, Lil Rel Howery, and DeWanda Wise.
Worth (2021)
Although Worth had its limited theatrical release and worldwide release on Netflix on September 3, 2021, it premiered over a year earlier. Worth, a biographical film, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in its January 2020 screening. Worth tells the story of attorney Kenneth Feinberg and his handling of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). Screenwriter Max Borenstein (Godzilla, Godzilla: Awakening, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters) adapted the movie’s screenplay from Kenneth Feinberg’s book What Is Life Worth? Starring Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci, and Tate Donovan, Worth received positive reviews from audiences and critics.
Rustin (2023)
Playwright and director George C. Wolfe directed the Higher Ground Productions film, Rustin (2013), from a screenplay by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black. The film gives an in-depth look at the life of the African-American rights activist Bayard Rustin. The movie focuses on how he helped organize the famous 1963 March on Washington alongside A. Philip Randolph. It was in this march that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Rustin premiered at the Telluride Film Festival before being screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). After it was released theatrically in select theaters, Rustin was released for streaming on Netflix on November 17, 2023. The 106-minute biographical drama was received with warm and positive reviews.
Leave the World Behind (2023)
Before it was published that same year, Netflix won the rights to Rumaan Alam‘s 2020 novel Leave the World Behind. With a runtime of 141 minutes, Leave the World Behind (2023) is Higher Ground Productions’ feature film with the longest runtime. With a screenplay written and also directed by Sam Esmail, Leave the World Behind is set in the aftermath of a cyber attack in the United States. Released for streaming on Netflix on December 8, 2023, the apocalyptic, psychological thriller film cast Academy Awards winners and nominee as its cast leads. Leave the World Behind (2013) stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, as well as Kevin Bacon. Besides Fatherhood (2021), Leave the World Behind (2023) is one of Higher Ground Productions most popular feature movies.