Oscar-winning filmmaker Joanna Natasegara makes her feature debut with The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable, set to premiere on Netflix October 16 after its Sundance debut. The documentary traces the journey of Cilvaringz, the Dutch-Moroccan producer and rapper Tarik Azzougarh, whose fascination with Wu-Tang Clan in the 1990s evolved into genuine involvement. He became part of the group’s inner circle, toured internationally, and developed his craft under the guidance of RZA, who serves as executive producer. Natasegara, acclaimed for The White Helmets, returned to Netflix after that project secured the platform’s first Academy Award.
The film explores how Cilvaringz’s ambition culminated in the creation of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a 31-track album as the only copy made available. Sold at auction in 2015 for $2 million, the highest sum ever paid for a musical work, the album’s acquisition by Martin Shkreli ignited debate over scarcity, ownership, and the value of music in the streaming age. Natasegara positions the project as a meditation on artistic worth in an era defined by digital excess, drawing on Wu-Tang Clan’s legacy of community, technical mastery, and innovation while unpacking the consequences of the album’s sale.
Joanna Natasegara told variety: “For the last five years making this film has been a labour of love and discovery for me. Initially I was inspired by a teenhood love of Wu-Tangand a story about the secret album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin too intriguing to miss. In the making I discovered so much more about why Tarik, myself, and so many of us idolise them. They stand for so much that is so needed right now — community, talent, tenacity, innovation and love. I’m so thrilled audiences will get to spend time in this world I’ve loved so much.”
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