MUMBAI: Distribution company The Orchard and Broadcaster HBO has acquired the rights to the new documentary film ‘The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble’. The acquisition took place before the world premiere of the film at 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

1997-founded distribution firm, acquired worldwide rights of the Tremolo Production with the exception of U.S. domestic television rights. The television rights have been acquired by HBO from Participant Media and The Silk Road Project.

Film based on French-born Chinese-American cellist will have a theatrical release in the spring of 2016 with an HBO premiere to follow.

96-minute film which is directed by Morgan Neville, tells the extraordinary story of an international musical collective created by legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The film follows this group of diverse instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they explore the power of music to preserve tradition, shape cultural evolution and inspire hope.

Commenting in the acquisition, The Orchard film and TV SVP Paul Davidson said, “The Music of Strangers represents an exciting opportunity for us to work closely with who we consider to be the triple-threat of documentary powerhouses – Morgan, Participant and HBO.”

“What could be better than being involved in a film that erases differences in the name of music,” commented HBO documentary films president Sheila Nevins.

The documentary is produced by Neville and Caitrin Rogers of Tremolo Productions, in association with Participant Media and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Pershing Square Foundation and the Ford Foundation JustFilms.