NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTARY FILMS GREENLIGHTS FEATURE DOCUMENTARY "SALLY" (WT) FROM EMMY(R)-WINNING DIRECTOR CRISTINA COSTANTINI OF MUCK MEDIA, OSCAR(R)- AND EMMY-WINNING PRODUCER DAN COGAN OF STORY SYNDICATE, AND PRODUCER LAUREN CIOFFI

SALLY (WT) Will Explore Space Pioneer Sally Ride Through Never-Before-Seen Archival Footage and Commentary From Fellow Trailblazers Billie Jean King, Kathy Sullivan, Anna Lee Fisher and Life Partner Tam O'Shaughnessy

(WASHINGTON, D.C. - Feb. 8, 2024) National Geographic Documentary Films has announced a new film, SALLY (working title), from acclaimed director Cristina Constantini ("Mucho Mucho Amor," "Science Fair") and producers Dan Cogan ("Icarus," "Becoming Cousteau") and Lauren Cioffi ("Naomi Osaka," "Becoming"). In partnership with award-winning production company Story Syndicate ("Last Call," "Stolen Youth," the Oscar-nominated "The Barber of Little Rock") and in association with Muck Media ("Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller," "Mucho Mucho Amor," "Science Fair"), the film will capture the remarkable life and legacy of the groundbreaking astronaut Dr. Sally Ride.

This marks another enthralling project in National Geographic's long-standing relationship with Story Syndicate, Muck Media and Costantini. SALLY (working title) is edited by Kate Hackett and executive produced by Liz Garbus, Jon Bardin and Kate Barry for Story Syndicate and Carolyn Bernstein for National Geographic. Exclusive interviews with close friends and colleagues of Sally Ride include her life partner Tam O'Shaughnessy (also an executive producer), Billie Jean King and astronauts Anna Lee Fisher and Kathy Sullivan, to highlight a few.

When Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, she forever changed the course of science, exploration and women's empowerment. But as she flew into orbit, Ride faced the challenges of institutional critics and the prejudice of an American public who were skeptical that a woman could do the job of an astronaut. Undeterred, Ride dove headfirst into that struggle, propelled by a determination few could match.

Woven together through decades of astonishing, never-before-seen archival footage, filmed both on the ground and in space, SALLY (working title) recounts the authentic, behind-the-scenes story of Sally Ride and chronicles the beautiful 27-year romance with life partner Tam O'Shaughnessy, which was kept secret from the public until the day of Ride's death. The film presents the intimate, emotional truth of her journey as a pioneer who fought to expand the limits of what America imagined was possible. For the first time, the film allows us to see the real Ride, struggling with the limits and sacrifices true heroism demands.

"Cristina Costantini is the perfect filmmaker to tell Sally Ride's story. Her passion for science and film and dedication to women's equality bring depth and ethos to the project. We are thrilled to collaborate with her, Story Syndicate and Muck Media once again on this momentous project," said Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of Scripted Content and Documentary Films for National Geographic. "Sally Ride was a bold pioneer whose legacy continues to inspire new generations of astronauts, scientists and dreamers. This documentary will be a tribute to her accomplishments and a testament to the importance of diversity and inclusion in scientific exploration."

"Sally was a powerful symbol to me as a kid - so much so that I painted a life-sized mural of her on the exterior of my elementary school in third grade. I thought, 'If Sally, a woman, can go to space, what can't I do?'" said director Costantini.

"Our society was not ready to celebrate Sally Ride for all of who she was when she broke the stratospheric glass ceiling back in 1983. It's a great privilege to be able to tell her whole story today - who she really was, what she accomplished, and who she chose to love," Costantini continues. "I have the utmost gratitude to National Geographic Documentaries Films for supporting our vision. I couldn't think of a better partner."

"I'm thrilled and honored to help tell the deeply resonant story of this extraordinary trailblazer, who has been a hero for young girls for generations, but nobody has told her full story until now," says Cogan. "This film has been a dream since the moment we started it. Getting to work with Carolyn again and getting to know Cristina, Tam and Lauren has been such a joy."

# # #

About National Geographic Documentary Films

National Geographic Documentary Films, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium, feature documentaries that cover timely, provocative and globally relevant stories from the very best documentary filmmakers. Our award-winning and critically acclaimed films reach 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages across the global National Geographic channels and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Recent films include BAFTA nominated Bobi Wine: The People's President, Oscar(R)- and BAFTA nominated Fire of Love, three-time Emmy-award winner The First Wave, two-time Sundance-award winner The Territory, BAFTA nominees The Rescue and Becoming Cousteau, and Oscar(R)- and BAFTA winner Free Solo. For more information visit films.nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Story Syndicate

STORY SYNDICATE is a New York-based film and television production company devoted to premium nonfiction and scripted content. Founded in 2019 by Academy Award(R)- and Emmy Award(R)-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan in the light of an evolving media landscape, Story Syndicate provides a home for talented filmmakers, producers, journalists, thinkers, and artists to create innovative, ambitious, and elevated visual content.

Our recently released projects include: the six-part viewership record-setting docuseries Harry & Meghan (Netflix); the critically acclaimed and genre-defying series Last Call (HBO) and Stolen Youth: The Cult at Sarah Lawrence (Hulu); the shocking medical true-crime feature Take Care of Maya (Netflix); the Oscar-nominated Documentary Short Film The Barber of Little Rock (The New Yorker); the adventure-exploration multi-film series Unknown (Netflix); the moving feature I Am Vanessa Guillen (Netflix) on the investigation and watershed activism surrounding the missing and murdered Fort Hood soldier; the Erin Lee Carr-helmed The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring (HBO); the three-part docuseries Eat The Rich: The GameStop Saga (Netflix); the docuseries Murders Before the Marathon (ABC, Hulu) examining a link between the Boston Marathon Bombing and an unsolved triple murder years earlier; the landmark feature Becoming Cousteau (Nat Geo) on the life of the iconic underwater explorer; the three-part series Nuclear Family (HBO) telling the extraordinary story of a first- generation lesbian family's fight to stay together; the explosive feature Britney vs Spears (Netflix) investigating the story of Britney's public and private fight for freedom; and the five- part series Children of the Underground (FX, Hulu) chronicling the story of an embattled vigilante who made it her mission to help alleged abuse survivors where others had failed. Other projects include I'll Be Gone in the Dark (HBO), The Innocence Files (Netflix), All In: The Fight for Democracy (Amazon), Mayor Pete (Amazon) and Fauci (Nat Geo).

About Muck Media

MUCK MEDIA is an Emmy, Peabody and duPont Award-winning production company concentrating on quality storytelling that is often journalistic and always compelling.

Muck's recent projects include Science Fair, The Series (Disney+/National Geographic) inspired by the Sundance Festival Favorite and Emmy Award winning feature documentary; the critically acclaimed feature American Pain (CNN Films/Max) about the rise and fall of twin brothers from Florida who ran the biggest prescription opioid trafficking network in US history; Menudo: Forever Young (Max) which chronicles the fame and tragedy of the most iconic Latin American boy band in history; and The Originals (The New Yorker), an animated short about childhood friends growing up in South Brooklyn, where money was tight but friendships were tighter.

Muck's series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller about global black markets and underworlds has been nominated for 14 Emmy's and was recently picked up for it's fifth season by National Geographic. The company also produced the celebrated documentary Mucho Mucho Amor (Netflix) about the beloved Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado. And it's latest feature, We Can Be Heroes, about a group of neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed "nerdy" teenagers who find solace at a LARPing summer camp, is set to premiere at SXSW 2024.