History-making Oscar winner Roger Ross Williams tapped to produce TLC documentary

After making history at the Academy Awards, one of Roger Ross Williams' next projects will be about history-making pop music act TLC.

The acclaimed filmmaker will produce a documentary special on the best-selling group coming to the A&E network next year.

The two-hour special, titled “Biography: TLC,” will chronicle the journey of the top-selling female group of all time throughout their career in the 1990s and beyond.

Directed by Matt Kay, the documentary will feature interviews with surviving members Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, who along with late group member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, blazed a trail of chart-topping hits including “No Scrubs,” “Waterfalls,” “Creep” and “Unpretty.”

“As someone who has long been in awe of TLC and their musical and cultural impact, I am thrilled to be a part of bringing the story of their music, their journey and their continuing reverence to the screen,” Williams, who will serve as executive producer of the film, said in Thursday’s announcement.

In 2010, Williams took home an Oscar for his 2010 short subject “Music By Prudence,” becoming the first African-American to win an Academy Award for directing. The Easton, Pa., native recently took home an Emmy Award for his critically acclaimed documentary, “The Apollo” which chronicles the 85-year history of the Harlem landmark.

Having sold over 85 million records worldwide, TLC is considered the biggest-selling American girl group of all time. The Atlanta-formed act blazed a trail throughout the 1990s melding hip hop, R&B and pop elements throughout a discography featuring infectious songs produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Organized Noize, Chucky Thompson and Missy Elliott.

Their second opus “CrazySexyCool” made them the first girl group to earn a diamond-certified album by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying sales of over 10 million copies.

Overall, the groundbreaking trio scored nine top-10 hits and four number one singles across their three-decades long career.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with A&E, as well as filmmaker Matthew Kay, to bring this film to life. We hope this film illuminates a side of this incredible group … that long-time fans and viewers alike have not seen before,” Williams added.

TLC, whose phenomenal success has been peppered with scandals and tragedy – including a highly publicized bankruptcy, management woes and the accidental death of Lopes – was the subject of top-rated VH1 biopic “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story” in 2013.

“The Biography banner has always focused on telling the stories of remarkable people who have had a major impact on our collective culture,” A&E’s programming chief Elaine Frontain Bryant said. “As a revolutionary group that broke boundaries and influenced an entire generation, TLC falls directly into that category and we are honored to tell their incredible story as it has never been told before.”

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