‘Athlete A’ set for world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival

“Athlete A,” a documentary film that delves into the world of elite gymnastics and the sexual abuse issues that have plagued it, is set to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The future Netflix release, designated a “Spotlight Documentary” by the festival, features IndyStar journalists and their coverage of the scandal involving Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics.

Reporters Mark Alesia, Tim Evans, and Marisa Kwiatkowski, as well as investigations editor Steve Berta and visual journalist Robert Scheer, were the team behind the initial “Out of Balance” report that was released in 2016.

The report led to more than 500 women coming forward to accuse USAG doctor Nassar of sexual abuse.

Nassar is now serving a prison sentence of up to 175 years.

Alvie Lindsay, the news and investigations director for IndyStar, said, “We could not be more thrilled to have our work showcased at such a prestigious event. This is an honor for IndyStar, and especially for our investigations team that worked so hard to uncover the sexual abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics and did so in a way that truly made a difference.

He continued, “We see this documentary as another opportunity for this important work to reach a wider audience and bring greater attention to the need for meaningful reform that protects children.”

The prosecutor in the case credited IndyStar and Rachael Denhollander, the first victim to identify herself by name, as the entities who “finally started this reckoning.”

The film’s title, “Athlete A,” refers to Maggie Nichols, who was the first athlete to file a complaint about Nassar to USAG in 2015.

“Athlete A” will be screened April 17 at Manhattan’s SVA Theatre. The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 15-26.