Image Source: HBO
Following sorority recruitment week at the University of Alabama, aka Bama Rush, became a sweeping trend across TikTok in the summer of 2021, and now it’s getting the documentary treatment from Max and Vice Studios later this month.
The forthcoming feature, directed by Rachel Fleit and titled “Bama Rush,” will follow the lives of four young women as they prepare to rush at the University of Alabama in 2022. It’s billed as a “nuanced and revealing documentary,” and Fleit will explore the “emotional complexities and stakes of belonging in this crucial window into womanhood.”
News of the original documentary first made headlines in August 2022 after Variety reported that the documentary on the viral sensation was being filmed at that time in Tuscaloosa, AL, where the University of Alabama’s rush week concluded with more than 2,500 students rushing nearly 20 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities. (It is unclear if Alabama’s National Pan-Hellenic Council sorority rush will also be featured in the doc).
That same month, according to a statement shared with The New York Times, Fleit said, “This film is a thoughtful and compassionate portrayal of young women in 2022 as they rush the sorority system at the University of Alabama.”
The Bama Rush hashtag began on TikTok in 2021 as an inside look at Greek life by way of a few potential new members (PNMs) documenting their outfits of the day (OOTD) and the behind-the scenes of the University of Alabama’s sorority recruitment process, per Vox. According to the Times, the project had been in the works with Vice Studios ever since the TikTok trend grew in popularity during 2021’s rush week.
Ahead, check out the trailer for “Bama Rush” and find out when it premieres on Max.
“Bama Rush” Trailer
“Bama Rush” Release Date
The documentary begins streaming on Max on May 23.