Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman was among the global guests at the premiere of Melania, a new documentary focusing on former First Lady Melania Trump. The premiere was held at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on January 29.
Rahman's presence at the event is considered a major international highlight, underscoring his global influence in the music and film industry. The premiere drew a diverse crowd of personalities from the realms of entertainment, sports, and politics.
Alongside Rahman, attendees included FIFA President Gianni Infantino, hip-hop artist Waka Flocka Flame, and Jordan Belfort, whose life inspired the film The Wolf of Wall Street. Political figures such as former New York City Mayor Eric Adams and U.S. Second Lady Usha Vance were also present. Members of former President Donald Trump's cabinet, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, attended the high-profile event. Donald Trump and Melania Trump walked the black carpet before the screening.
Melania offers a behind-the-scenes look at Melania Trump's life during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration. Melania Trump said she got the idea for the documentary after her husband won the 2024 election, stating it will give viewers a rare glimpse into her life. In the film's trailer, Melania describes the role of First Lady as juggling being a "businessperson, a wife, a mother" and coordinating her family's move back to the Executive Mansion. A private screening was held at the White House on January 24 for Donald and Melania Trump, their son Barron, and other invited guests.
The documentary is directed by Brett Ratner and co-produced by Ratner, Fernando Sulichin, Marc Beckman, and Melania Trump. The film marks Ratner's return to directing after facing accusations of sexual misconduct in 2017.
Melania was produced by AmazonMGM Studios with a reported budget of $40 million. The film is set to be released in approximately 1,600 screens in the United States and globally in 5,000. Following its theatrical run, the documentary will be available for streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Melania Trump appeared on Wall Street on January 28 to promote the film and ring the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell. She stated that the documentary marks the "first time in history" that people will witness the lead-up to an inauguration through a first lady's eyes, describing her husband's return to office as an "important period for America".
The premiere at the Kennedy Center was simulcast in 21 theaters nationwide for invited guests. Amazon MGM Studios announced the film would be released in U.S. theaters on January 30.
The documentary has already stirred conversation, with some critics suggesting its rollout resembles a political branding exercise.
