| Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Bognar Julia Reichert |
| Produced by | Steven Bognar Dave Chappelle Julia Reichert |
| Starring | Dave Chappelle |
| Cinematography | Ian Cook |
| Edited by | Kevin Jones, Jaime Meyers Schlenck, and Hannah Blair |
Production company | Pilot Boy Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life (originally titled Dave Chappelle: This Time This Place and advertised as Untitled Dave Chappelle Documentary) is a documentary film directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert. The film details Dave Chappelle's 2020 comedy shows and musical concerts he put on in Yellow Springs, Ohio during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and the 2020 George Floyd protests.[1]
Following closures of comedy clubs and venues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the murder of George Floyd, Dave Chappelle began hosting outdoor comedy and music shows in a cornfield in his home of Yellow Springs, Ohio.[2] Chappelle created a COVID-19 bubble to protect artists via testing. The bubble suffered a few COVID-19 exposures.[3] Filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, directors of the documentary American Factory, happen to be Chappelle's neighbours and were asked to direct the film.[4]
The film was premiered at Tribeca Film Festival on June 19, 2021 at Radio City Music Hall.[4]
Following controversy over jokes made in Chappelle's October 2021 Netflix special The Closer, distributors were not interested in the film and film festivals "uninvited" the film from being screened.[5] Chappelle decided to take the film on tour to be shown in 10 arenas in cities across the United States and Canada[6][7] and will have a limited theatrical run beginning November 19, 2021.[8]
Chappelle asked critics not to review the film.[9]
In a positive review, Peter Debruge of Variety called the film "an impressive account of how the comedian found a way to host live stand-up shows during the jittery first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, directed by Oscar-winning American Factory duo Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar".[9]
The film has not yet been released to the general public.
