‘Jewel’s Catch One’: Story of Legendary LA Club Gets All-Platform Release June 16

Rep. Maxine Waters /Freestyle Digital Media

Madonna, Jenifer Lewis, Sharon Stone, Evelyn “Champagne” King and other celebrities recall Catch One as one of L.A.’s hottest nightclubs. But in the light of day, the club owned by Jewel Thais-Williams emerged with an unexpected identity.

Director-writer C. Fitz and co-writer Pat Branch put the story of “Jewel’s Catch One” and its legendary owner onscreen in 2016. With its re-release on June 16, 2026, the award-winning music documentary is available on Apple TV, Prime Video, Apple TV, and other North American platforms.

The film’s return during Pride Month, just days before Juneteenth, is both timely and resonant. (Watch the trailer here.)

A 40-Year Story 

Spanning four decades, “Jewel’s Catch One” tells the essential true story of America’s oldest Black-owned disco. A contemporary of queer clubs in West Hollywood (Studio One) and on the East Coast (Studio 54), Catch One was more than a nightclub.

The film follows the evolution of the dance floor to include a sanctuary of activism, as Jewel created a vital safe space. Especially during the AIDS crisis, the club became a source of healthcare support, fundraising, and visibility. She designated one room of the club, the “Roots Room,” as a venue for African American culture.

“I didn’t come into this business with the idea of it becoming a community center,” Jewel told Goweho Editor Laurie Schenden, for an LA Times profile in 1992. “It started before AIDS and the riots and all that.

“I got the first sense of the business being more than just a bar, and having an obligation to the community years ago,” she explained. “Black gays were carded, requiring several pieces of ID, to get into white clubs. I went to bat for them, though I would love to have them come to my place every night.” (Thais-Williams died last year at age 86.)

Celebrity Following

Narrated by CCH Pounder and produced by Fitz, Branch, Carmen Quiros, and Tim Vermeulen, the documentary includes an array of legendary voices. Jewel herself is joined by Thelma Houston, Sharon Stone, Madonna, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Thea Austin, Sandra Bernhard, Jenifer Lewis, Rep. Maxine Waters, Bonnie Pointer, Jennifer Holliday, Janice Robinson, Al Von and Rue Thais-Williams.

“Jewel’s Catch One” won four “Best Documentary” awards, a Jury Award, and was named to Palm Springs’ “Best of Fest” list, with screenings at more than 70 festivals worldwide.

“I wanted to create an invitation to witness change through the film’s portal into history,” said filmmaker C. Fitz. “Through Jewel’s life, this film teaches lessons against the backdrop of survival, love, and courage.

“In times like these, it’s critical to remember the resilience of those who stood against hate. I can’t wait for more people to experience it.”

Details of Re-release

“Jewel’s Catch One” re-release on June 16, 2026, across North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms. It includes Prime Video and Apple TV, following Freestyle Digital Media’s acquisition of VOD rights to the film.

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, negotiated a deal to acquire “Jewel’s Catch One” directly with the filmmakers, Dancing Pictures, and Tiffany Boyle of Ramo Law.

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