Netflix Acquires “The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable” for October Release

Netflix has purchased the worldwide streaming rights to *The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable*, a feature documentary that premiered at Sundance. The film is slated for release in October. The streaming platform will present the film as a Netflix Documentary produced in association with Studio Gebbia, Film4, 36 Cinema, Sony Music Vision, Aluna Entertainment, and Violet Films.

Variety Magazine

The documentary follows Dutch-Moroccan rapper-producer Tarik Azzougarh, known as Cilvaringz, and his role in the creation of the Wu-Tang Clan’s singular album *Once Upon a Time in Shaolin*. The 31-track record was produced as a single physical copy and, in 2015, was auctioned for $2 million—making it the most expensive musical work ever sold. The buyer, later convicted entrepreneur Martin Shkreli, added further controversy to the project.

Variety Magazine

Directed and produced by Oscar-winning British filmmaker Joanna Natasegara—her feature-directorial debut—the film also lists Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark, and Vanessa Kirby as producers. Executive producers include Wu-Tang’s RZA, Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, and a slate of partners from Film4, Bird Street Productions, and other entities. Editors Chloë Lambourne and Chris Dickens completed post-production.

Variety Magazine

The documentary positions the Shaolin album as a “form of protest” that argues for the intrinsic artistic value of music in a digital age. By chronicling Cilvaringz’s determination to infiltrate Wu-Tang’s inner circle and the subsequent high-profile sale, the film sparks ongoing conversations about technology, ownership, and the economics of art.

Variety Magazine

• “For the last five years making this film has been a labour of love and discovery for me,” — Joanna Natasegara

Variety Magazine