Kino Lorber Acquires “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” for North American Release

Kino Lorber secured North American rights to Sasha Waters’ documentary *Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World*. The film opens at New York’s IFC Center on July 3, then moves to digital, educational, and home-video platforms. Negotiations were led by VP of Acquisitions Karoliina Dwyer.

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Directed and produced by Sasha Waters (Pieshake Pictures, American Masters Pictures), Waters, whose previous work includes the documentary *Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable*, brings a visual sensibility to the project. The film uses Oliver’s personal archives. The estate required full-poem usage, barring excerpts; a later waiver permitted a brief opening excerpt. Waters blends Oliver’s verses with visual frames, treating poems as “musical numbers” that pause but advance the story, ordered by emotional truth rather than chronology.

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The documentary centers on Pulitzer-Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver. Sasha Waters directs and produces, with executive producers John Keith, Leah Weinkle, and Michael Kantor. Kino Lorber’s Richard Lorber (Chairman & CEO) and Karoliina Dwyer (VP Acquisitions) oversee distribution. Interviewees include Stephen Colbert, director John Waters, a longtime friend of Oliver, and numerous poets; fans such as Steve Buscemi, Helena Bonham Carter, Oprah Winfrey, and Maria Shriver appear in promotional material.

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World premiere at the True/False Festival (March 2026) was followed by screenings at DOC NYC Spring Selects, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, and the Miami Film Festival (Q&A). The theatrical debut is set for July 3 2026 at IFC Center, after which digital, educational, and home-video releases will follow.

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Oliver’s best-selling poetry, rare for a poet, bridges ideological divides, resonating with liberals, conservatives, atheists, believers, naturalists, and urbanites. The film’s focus on attention, presence, and humanity’s bond with nature speaks to current concerns about climate change, digital distraction, and social fragmentation.

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Richard Lorber praised the documentary as a rare achievement in translating poetry to film, emphasizing its difficulty. Sasha Waters expressed excitement about the Kino Lorber partnership, noting the distributor’s reputation for discerning documentary audiences and the film’s deep exploration of Oliver’s literary impact.

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• “If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it,” — Release statement

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• “It’s so hard to make a movie about poetry, but cinematic translator Sasha Waters has nailed it,” — Richard Lorber, Chairman & CEO, Kino Lorber

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• “We are thrilled to partner with Kino Lorber on the release of Mary Oliver,” — Sasha Waters, Director

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• “One thing that was interesting about working with the estate was that we were told that we could not excerpt any poems,” — Sasha Waters, Director (Miami Film Festival Q&A)

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After the July 3 theatrical run, Kino Lorber will release the film on digital, educational, and home-video platforms.

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