White House Doc ‘The Way I See It’ Sets Release in Theaters Ahead of MSNBC Premiere

“The Way I See It,” a documentary about former White House photographer Pete Souza, will release in theaters on Sept. 18 before premiering on MSNBC three weeks later on Oct. 9.

The Focus Features documentary follows the life of Souza, who captured the presidencies of Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. It will air on MSNBC, which co-produced the film, Friday at 10 p.m. ET following Rachel Maddow’s show. The network plans to re-air “The Way I See It” several times ahead of the November election.

“Unlike his predecessor, Mr. Trump does not allow his staff photographer to capture photographs of life and work inside the White House,” Souza narrates in the trailer. “Reagan and Obama respect the dignity of the office. The presidency is a serious job. And I was going to do everything I could to make sure people didn’t forget that.

Dawn Porter directed and produced the doc, which was produced by Laura Dern. “The Way I See It” will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 11. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s gathering will be a mix of physical events and virtual screenings, with many including drive-ins as a way to limit social interactions. The doc is also part of Telluride Film Festival’s official selection.

Focus Features has had to shake up their release plans for several films amid the pandemic. “Emma” and “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” were released just before theaters closed in March and put on premium video-on-demand platforms sooner than expected. Jon Stewart’s political comedy “Irresistible” and romantic comedy “The High Note” with Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson both skipped their theatrical debuts in favor of streaming. And Miranda July’s upcoming crime drama “Kajillionaire” will open in theaters on Sept. 25 prior to launching early on digital rental services.