Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Documentary ‘Cookie Queens’ Gets Sundance Standing Ovation

In one of the longest standing ovations here at Sundance Film Festival, which again, isn’t known for timed standings, the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry executive produced Cookie Queens saw a standing ovation around two minutes-plus. That’s a big deal at Park City, Utah’s Eccles Theatre as the crowd is usually up and down in seconds versus the six-to-twelve minute rah rahs seens at Venice and Cannes.

The Alysa Nahmias directed documentary was greeted with rolling applause during its play; the crowed moved by four little Girl Scout’s triumphs in pre-adolescence as they tenaciously seek to surpass their cookie sales goals and deal with life, from social dances to dreams of Europe.

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn’t take the stage following the premiere, Nahmias took the mic with the pic’s powerhouse protags, Shannon Elizabeth, Olive, Nikki and Ara and their parents.

Olive, who sells 12,000 boxes in the documentary, stole the stage time, calling the Girl Scout org out: “Every person has the room for change in an organization.”

Olive made her case to the filled Eccles Theatre that the Girl Scouts needs to adjust the parameters of the hours and red tape for community project hours. “One of the problems a lot of girls face, they have trouble getting their projets approved in the firsts place because a lot of councils are nitpicky.”

Olive was upset because the org only allowed a week’s time line for members to pitch projects, however, their approval process can last two or three weeks. “It discourages from earning goal awards…but it also hurts the community that they are going to serve if they don’t get help” The Girl Scouts community projects are great for a member’s curriculum vitaes; helping them land jobs, and look good for college.

WME Independent and Submarine are selling Cookie Queens.