Academy Award–nominated director Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony begins in 2022, just as composer Jon Batiste learns he was nominated for 11 Grammys; another summit among many high points in his career. Well known as the bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Batiste is preparing for a one-night only performance at Carnegie Hall to present “American Symphony,” an orchestral piece intended to modernize the form.
At the same time Batiste’s career is picking up momentum, his life partner, Suleika Jaouad, learns that after a decade-long remission, her cancer has returned. American Symphony chronicles the emotional heights and depths that follow, creating a narrative that’s part love story, and part exploration of the processes and motivations behind two incredible creatives.
Who is Jon Batiste?
Raised in New Orleans in a long line of Louisiana musicians, Batiste is a pianist and singer known for composing modern, eclectic crossover music,...
At the same time Batiste’s career is picking up momentum, his life partner, Suleika Jaouad, learns that after a decade-long remission, her cancer has returned. American Symphony chronicles the emotional heights and depths that follow, creating a narrative that’s part love story, and part exploration of the processes and motivations behind two incredible creatives.
Who is Jon Batiste?
Raised in New Orleans in a long line of Louisiana musicians, Batiste is a pianist and singer known for composing modern, eclectic crossover music,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Amanda Richards
- Tudum - Netflix
Jon Batiste is tackling dual responsibilities with Jason Reitman’s forthcoming feature that will focus on the opening night for NBC’s long-running sketch series Saturday Night Live.
Batiste will compose the score for the Sony Pictures film SNL 1975, and he will also appear in the movie as keyboardist and singer Billy Preston, who was the show’s first musical guest when it debuted Oct. 11, 1975. Centering on the behind-the-scenes moments leading up to that initial broadcast, Reitman’s film stars Gabriel Labelle as series creator Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman as former NBC exec Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott as Michaels’ ex-wife and former SNL writer Rosie Shuster.
Reitman and Gil Kenan wrote the screenplay based on their interviews with living cast, scribes and crew about the launch of the show that is currently airing its 49th season. Reitman, Kenan, Jason Blumenfeld and Peter Rice serve as producers on SNL 1975...
Batiste will compose the score for the Sony Pictures film SNL 1975, and he will also appear in the movie as keyboardist and singer Billy Preston, who was the show’s first musical guest when it debuted Oct. 11, 1975. Centering on the behind-the-scenes moments leading up to that initial broadcast, Reitman’s film stars Gabriel Labelle as series creator Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman as former NBC exec Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott as Michaels’ ex-wife and former SNL writer Rosie Shuster.
Reitman and Gil Kenan wrote the screenplay based on their interviews with living cast, scribes and crew about the launch of the show that is currently airing its 49th season. Reitman, Kenan, Jason Blumenfeld and Peter Rice serve as producers on SNL 1975...
- 3/28/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A star-studded host committee, Academy Awards nominees and presenters, along with some of the most powerful industry influencers came together on March 9, 2024, for MPTF's 22nd Annual ‘Night Before’ benefit.
Co-Chaired by Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathé, America Ferrera & Ryan Piers-Williams, Jodie Foster, and Paul Giamatti, the annual event raised over $4.3 million.
“MPTF and I have such a rich, wonderful history together of taking care of our own. I’m so proud to support this incredible organization and help raise crucial funds to support our industry family when they need it most,” said Jodie Foster.
America Ferrera stated, “I’m proud to be part of a benefit that brings our community together while helping sustain the important mission of MPTF.”
Sterling K. Brown noted, “I’ve been involved with MPTF for many years and am honored to chair the Night Before with my peers. This is not only a great...
Co-Chaired by Sterling K. Brown & Ryan Michelle Bathé, America Ferrera & Ryan Piers-Williams, Jodie Foster, and Paul Giamatti, the annual event raised over $4.3 million.
“MPTF and I have such a rich, wonderful history together of taking care of our own. I’m so proud to support this incredible organization and help raise crucial funds to support our industry family when they need it most,” said Jodie Foster.
America Ferrera stated, “I’m proud to be part of a benefit that brings our community together while helping sustain the important mission of MPTF.”
Sterling K. Brown noted, “I’ve been involved with MPTF for many years and am honored to chair the Night Before with my peers. This is not only a great...
- 3/14/2024
- Look to the Stars
Jon Batiste‘s wife Suleika Jaouad wore a stunning dress to the 2024 Oscars, and it was designed by an Academy Award winner!
The couple attended the event held on Sunday (March 10) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Jon gave a live performance of “It Never Went Away” during the show!
If you didn’t know, the fashion designer behind Suleika‘s shiny dress is none other than Angelina Jolie!
Keep reading to find out more…
The Oscar-winning actress helped design the silky gold gown under her fashion company Atelier Jolie.
It also featured a painting of Jon on the skirt inspired by their documentary American Symphony, which follows the couple amid Suleika‘s cancer battle.
Suleika took to Instagram on Monday (March 11) to share more photos of her dress and express her appreciation for Angelina.
“My gown was designed by the one and only Angelina Jolie, complete with an American...
The couple attended the event held on Sunday (March 10) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Jon gave a live performance of “It Never Went Away” during the show!
If you didn’t know, the fashion designer behind Suleika‘s shiny dress is none other than Angelina Jolie!
Keep reading to find out more…
The Oscar-winning actress helped design the silky gold gown under her fashion company Atelier Jolie.
It also featured a painting of Jon on the skirt inspired by their documentary American Symphony, which follows the couple amid Suleika‘s cancer battle.
Suleika took to Instagram on Monday (March 11) to share more photos of her dress and express her appreciation for Angelina.
“My gown was designed by the one and only Angelina Jolie, complete with an American...
- 3/12/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Lily Gladstone got teary eyed watching Scott George and the Osage Singers’ powerful performance of “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon at the 2024 Oscars.
The performers joined forces to collectively bang a drum, dressed in traditional Osage attire, as the women sang.
Scott George and the Osage Singers perform “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/15Cwxj8D9Q
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 11, 2024
George previously shared how special the nomination was with The Hollywood Reporter. “With Lily, it’s not surprising to me that she’s been nominated. She’s great. With us, if you really wanted to look at it, our music is probably thousands of years old. For it to be recognized maybe for the first time ever, it’s overwhelming in that sense,” the drummer, singer and composer said.
The performers joined forces to collectively bang a drum, dressed in traditional Osage attire, as the women sang.
Scott George and the Osage Singers perform “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/15Cwxj8D9Q
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 11, 2024
George previously shared how special the nomination was with The Hollywood Reporter. “With Lily, it’s not surprising to me that she’s been nominated. She’s great. With us, if you really wanted to look at it, our music is probably thousands of years old. For it to be recognized maybe for the first time ever, it’s overwhelming in that sense,” the drummer, singer and composer said.
- 3/11/2024
- by Tatiana Tenreyro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jon Batiste took to the Oscars stage on Sunday to perform “It Never Went Away” from his nominated documentary American Symphony. Batiste showcased the intimate, emotional song at a grand piano alongside the accompanying Oscar orchestra, earning passionate applause from the crowd.
Jon Batiste performs "It Never Went Away" from #AmericanSymphony at the 2024 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/nsuHQqNE3h
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
The artist is up for this year’s Best Original Song award for “It Never Went Away” from his documentary American Symphony, which Rolling Stone called...
Jon Batiste performs "It Never Went Away" from #AmericanSymphony at the 2024 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/nsuHQqNE3h
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
The artist is up for this year’s Best Original Song award for “It Never Went Away” from his documentary American Symphony, which Rolling Stone called...
- 3/11/2024
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald dressed five celebrity clients for Oscars 2024: nominees Jon Batiste, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Colman Domingo, presenter Regina King and Olivia Munn. But two days before the show, the star-styling duo’s stress levels remained firmly set to zero.
The secret? “Pre-planning, pre-planning, pre-planning,” McDonald told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday evening. “We made PDFs mapping everything out, even down to how many minutes it takes to get between hotels.”
“At the [Dec. 3] Academy Museum Gala, we had nine people attending,” Bannerman added. “That went quite well, so we also knew we could use that as our awards-season fire drill.”
Their client Batiste — a best original song Oscars 2024 nominee for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony — already enjoyed a reputation as someone who loved fashion before joining Wayman + Micah’s impressive roster. “We started working with Jon in the latter part of last year,...
The secret? “Pre-planning, pre-planning, pre-planning,” McDonald told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday evening. “We made PDFs mapping everything out, even down to how many minutes it takes to get between hotels.”
“At the [Dec. 3] Academy Museum Gala, we had nine people attending,” Bannerman added. “That went quite well, so we also knew we could use that as our awards-season fire drill.”
Their client Batiste — a best original song Oscars 2024 nominee for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony — already enjoyed a reputation as someone who loved fashion before joining Wayman + Micah’s impressive roster. “We started working with Jon in the latter part of last year,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Motion Picture & Television Fund raised more than $4.3 million at its 22nd annual star-studded benefit on Saturday night.
The exclusive event was co-chaired by Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathé, America Ferrera and Ryan Piers-Williams, Jodie Foster and Paul Giamatti.
Funds raised from the event will be used to support industry members and their families who benefit from MPTF’s charitable programs and services, such as financial assistance, crisis counseling, caregiving support and residency on the Wasserman Campus in Woodland Hills, which now serves as “home” to many television and film veterans. During the recent work stoppages, MPTF received over 13,000 calls for aid and provided more than $8 million in charitable financial assistance.
“MPTF and I have such a rich, wonderful history together of taking care of our own,” said Foster. “I’m so proud to support this incredible organization and help raise crucial funds to support our industry family when they need it most.
The exclusive event was co-chaired by Sterling K. Brown and Ryan Michelle Bathé, America Ferrera and Ryan Piers-Williams, Jodie Foster and Paul Giamatti.
Funds raised from the event will be used to support industry members and their families who benefit from MPTF’s charitable programs and services, such as financial assistance, crisis counseling, caregiving support and residency on the Wasserman Campus in Woodland Hills, which now serves as “home” to many television and film veterans. During the recent work stoppages, MPTF received over 13,000 calls for aid and provided more than $8 million in charitable financial assistance.
“MPTF and I have such a rich, wonderful history together of taking care of our own,” said Foster. “I’m so proud to support this incredible organization and help raise crucial funds to support our industry family when they need it most.
- 3/10/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jon Batiste, Becky G, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Scott George and the Osage Singers, and Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson will perform this year’s nominated songs on the 96th Academy Awards, executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor and executive producers Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan announced today.
This will be Eilish and O’Connell’s second Oscar performance, having won best original song in 2022 for the Bond theme “No Time to Die.” This year they are nominated for the Grammy-winning Barbie song, “What Was I Made For?”
Barbie star — and supporting actor nominee — Gosling will perform the scene-stealing song “I’m Just Ken,” with an assist from co-writer Ronson (who wrote the song with collaborator Andrew Wyatt).
Batiste will perform his nominated tune “It Never Went Away” from Netflix’s American Symphony, the doc directed by Matthew Heineman that follows Batiste during his meteoric year in which he took...
This will be Eilish and O’Connell’s second Oscar performance, having won best original song in 2022 for the Bond theme “No Time to Die.” This year they are nominated for the Grammy-winning Barbie song, “What Was I Made For?”
Barbie star — and supporting actor nominee — Gosling will perform the scene-stealing song “I’m Just Ken,” with an assist from co-writer Ronson (who wrote the song with collaborator Andrew Wyatt).
Batiste will perform his nominated tune “It Never Went Away” from Netflix’s American Symphony, the doc directed by Matthew Heineman that follows Batiste during his meteoric year in which he took...
- 2/28/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Matthew Heineman set out to make American Symphony, he though he was going to be making a documentary about music. He was, indeed, following a musician, the celebrated fusion artist Jon Batiste, and doing so at a critical point in his career, when he was preparing for a performance in Carnegie Hall. The story became much more complicated, however, when Batiste’s partner, the writer Suleika Jaouad. became seriously ill, changing everything in their already hectic lives.
The thing about music that makes it so powerful, Batiste says, is its predictability – that sense that what happens is what was always supposed to happen. One might note that this makes it the polar opposite of life with leukaemia when life-threatening crises can develop within hours. As he continues to work, travelling to do audio research, developing his team, adjusting his compositions...
The thing about music that makes it so powerful, Batiste says, is its predictability – that sense that what happens is what was always supposed to happen. One might note that this makes it the polar opposite of life with leukaemia when life-threatening crises can develop within hours. As he continues to work, travelling to do audio research, developing his team, adjusting his compositions...
- 2/18/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Jon Batiste, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, which was recorded in front of an audience of film students at Chapman University, is a singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and actor. At just 37, he has already won five Grammys — including, in 2022, album of the year, for We Are — and also has to his name an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award, all for the score of the 2020 film Soul. He is currently nominated for the best original song Oscar for his tune “It Never Went Away,” which is featured in Matthew Heineman’s Netflix documentary feature American Symphony, about the best of times and the worst of times in the life of Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad.
Batiste has been described by Forbes as “a generational artist who is only getting better.” Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s artistic and managing director,...
Batiste has been described by Forbes as “a generational artist who is only getting better.” Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s artistic and managing director,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jon Batiste is feeling the love!
The 37-year-old singer was joined by wife Suleika Jaouad at the 2024 Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 4) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Jon is nominated for Record of the Year for his song “Worship,” as well as Album of the Year for his record World Music Radio. He is also nominated for Song of the Year for “Butterfly,” as well as three other nominations.
He’ll also be performing during the In Memoriam segment.
Make sure to tune in Tonight for the Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah for the fourth time. The show is airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ starting at 8pm Et. Check out the full list of nominations, led by Sza with a whopping nine nods!
The 37-year-old singer was joined by wife Suleika Jaouad at the 2024 Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 4) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Jon is nominated for Record of the Year for his song “Worship,” as well as Album of the Year for his record World Music Radio. He is also nominated for Song of the Year for “Butterfly,” as well as three other nominations.
He’ll also be performing during the In Memoriam segment.
Make sure to tune in Tonight for the Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah for the fourth time. The show is airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ starting at 8pm Et. Check out the full list of nominations, led by Sza with a whopping nine nods!
- 2/5/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
If something about this weekend’s 66th annual Grammys look familiar to you, credit Jon Batiste and his armful of nominations. Same goes for March 10’s Oscars ceremony.
In the run-up to the 2024 Grammys, the New Orleans native has again bolstered his Technicolor brand of R&b jazz fusion with gospel, hip-hop, dancehall and beyond for his newest release, 2023’s “World Music Radio.” For that, the keyboardist-composer is nominated for song of the year (“Butterfly”), record of the year (“Worship”), album of the year (“World Music Radio”), best jazz performance (“Movement 18′ (Heroes)” and best American roots performance (“Butterfly”). For his sixth nomination this year, Batiste is also Grammy-recognized for his featured appearance on Lana Del Rey’s most recent album, sharing a best pop duo/group performance nomination for “Candy Necklace.”
As far as the March 10 Oscar ceremony, Batiste is represented with a best original song nomination for “It Never...
In the run-up to the 2024 Grammys, the New Orleans native has again bolstered his Technicolor brand of R&b jazz fusion with gospel, hip-hop, dancehall and beyond for his newest release, 2023’s “World Music Radio.” For that, the keyboardist-composer is nominated for song of the year (“Butterfly”), record of the year (“Worship”), album of the year (“World Music Radio”), best jazz performance (“Movement 18′ (Heroes)” and best American roots performance (“Butterfly”). For his sixth nomination this year, Batiste is also Grammy-recognized for his featured appearance on Lana Del Rey’s most recent album, sharing a best pop duo/group performance nomination for “Candy Necklace.”
As far as the March 10 Oscar ceremony, Batiste is represented with a best original song nomination for “It Never...
- 2/2/2024
- by A.D. Amorosi
- Variety Film + TV
Clockwise from top left: Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures), The Zone Of Interest (A24), Napoleon (Apple TV+), Barbie (Warner Bros.), Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club
The final stretch of awards season is here, so how many of the Oscar-nominated films have you seen? If the answer is “not enough,...
The final stretch of awards season is here, so how many of the Oscar-nominated films have you seen? If the answer is “not enough,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
Updated with reaction from documentary nominees. In an Oscar stunner, two films considered a lock for nominations failed to be recognized Tuesday morning in the Best Documentary Feature category: American Symphony and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Instead, a group of five internationally focused documentaries earned nominations: National Geographic’s Bobi Wine: The People’s President, The Eternal Memory, Four Daughters, To Kill a Tiger, and 20 Days in Mariupol.
Kaouther Ben Hania, the Tunisian director of Four Daughters told Deadline this morning, “We live in a world where everything is linked so people are interested what happened in Tunisia and Uganda [where Bobi Wine takes place]. It’s just amazing. It proves that we live in a world where people are more curious, more international, more open.”
Related: Cillian Murphy On Best Actor ‘Oppenheimer’ Oscar Nomination: “I Feel Really Privileged And Lucky To Be In A Film That’s Connected With People”
Documentary branch voters,...
Instead, a group of five internationally focused documentaries earned nominations: National Geographic’s Bobi Wine: The People’s President, The Eternal Memory, Four Daughters, To Kill a Tiger, and 20 Days in Mariupol.
Kaouther Ben Hania, the Tunisian director of Four Daughters told Deadline this morning, “We live in a world where everything is linked so people are interested what happened in Tunisia and Uganda [where Bobi Wine takes place]. It’s just amazing. It proves that we live in a world where people are more curious, more international, more open.”
Related: Cillian Murphy On Best Actor ‘Oppenheimer’ Oscar Nomination: “I Feel Really Privileged And Lucky To Be In A Film That’s Connected With People”
Documentary branch voters,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
When director Matthew Heineman and musician Jon Batiste began their second collaboration after The First Wave — a harrowing documentary in which Heineman embedded himself in a New York hospital during the early days of the Covid pandemic, and for which Batiste provided the score — the project was much less fraught than its predecessor.
Jon Batiste (left) and Matthew Heineman, whose American Symphony was shortlisted in three Oscar categories.
American Symphony follows the former Late Show With Stephen Colbert bandleader during a career high: receiving a monumental 11 Grammy nominations for his 2021 album We Are (which won album of the year and four other prizes in April 2022) and preparing for a one-night performance of the titular composition at Carnegie Hall. Batiste, by all assumptions, was on top of the world.
But privately, things were much more complex. His partner, writer and musician Suleika Jaouad, was afflicted with a rare form of cancer that,...
Jon Batiste (left) and Matthew Heineman, whose American Symphony was shortlisted in three Oscar categories.
American Symphony follows the former Late Show With Stephen Colbert bandleader during a career high: receiving a monumental 11 Grammy nominations for his 2021 album We Are (which won album of the year and four other prizes in April 2022) and preparing for a one-night performance of the titular composition at Carnegie Hall. Batiste, by all assumptions, was on top of the world.
But privately, things were much more complex. His partner, writer and musician Suleika Jaouad, was afflicted with a rare form of cancer that,...
- 1/14/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Cinema Eye Honors announced the winners for its documentary films and series competition Friday in Manhattan, with “32 Sounds” taking the honor for outstanding nonfiction feature. Maite Alberdi won outstanding direction for “The Eternal Memory” together with Kaouther Ben Hania for “Four Daughters,” while “Paul T. Goldman” won outstanding nonfiction series.
See all the winners below:
—Outstanding Nonfiction Feature
32 Sounds
Directed by Sam Green
Produced by Josh Penn and Thomas O. Kriegsmann
—Outstanding Direction
Maite Alberdi
The Eternal Memory
Kaouther Ben Hania
Four Daughters
—Outstanding Editing
Michael Harte
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
—Outstanding Production
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden and Vasilisa Stepanenko
20 Days in Mariupol
—Outstanding Cinematography
Ants Tammik
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
—Outstanding Original Score
Jd Samson
32 Sounds
—Outstanding Sound Design
Mark Mangini
32 Sounds
—Outstanding Visual Design
Thomas Curtis and Sean Pierce
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
—Outstanding Debut
Kokomo...
See all the winners below:
—Outstanding Nonfiction Feature
32 Sounds
Directed by Sam Green
Produced by Josh Penn and Thomas O. Kriegsmann
—Outstanding Direction
Maite Alberdi
The Eternal Memory
Kaouther Ben Hania
Four Daughters
—Outstanding Editing
Michael Harte
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
—Outstanding Production
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden and Vasilisa Stepanenko
20 Days in Mariupol
—Outstanding Cinematography
Ants Tammik
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
—Outstanding Original Score
Jd Samson
32 Sounds
—Outstanding Sound Design
Mark Mangini
32 Sounds
—Outstanding Visual Design
Thomas Curtis and Sean Pierce
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
—Outstanding Debut
Kokomo...
- 1/13/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Caroline Brew, Jaden Thompson and Diego Ramos Bechara
- Variety Film + TV
There’s an old, old joke about the prestigious New York City concert venue Carnegie Hall, which opened in 1891.
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”
“Practice, practice, practice.”
Over the past 130 years, such renowned composers as Antonin Dvorak, Richard Strauss, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass and Milton Babbitt debuted their works at the Carnegie.
The new Netflix documentary “American Symphony,” which has been Oscar shortlisted for best documentary, best original score and song, follows Academy and multiple Grammy Award-winning composer/musicians/singer Jon Batiste as he prepares to debut his first symphony at Carnegie Hall while his wife Suleika Jaouad battles a recurrence of leukemia. The heart-on-your-sleeve documentary ends with the triumphant premiere Sept. 22, 2022, that even a power outage on stage couldn’t top. Variety noted in its review: “It wasn’t just the story of America, and its collage-like charms and vices. This was also Batiste’s story,...
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”
“Practice, practice, practice.”
Over the past 130 years, such renowned composers as Antonin Dvorak, Richard Strauss, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass and Milton Babbitt debuted their works at the Carnegie.
The new Netflix documentary “American Symphony,” which has been Oscar shortlisted for best documentary, best original score and song, follows Academy and multiple Grammy Award-winning composer/musicians/singer Jon Batiste as he prepares to debut his first symphony at Carnegie Hall while his wife Suleika Jaouad battles a recurrence of leukemia. The heart-on-your-sleeve documentary ends with the triumphant premiere Sept. 22, 2022, that even a power outage on stage couldn’t top. Variety noted in its review: “It wasn’t just the story of America, and its collage-like charms and vices. This was also Batiste’s story,...
- 1/2/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Barack Obama has revealed his favorite movies of the year, an annual tradition from the former President of the United States. The first three films on the list — “Rustin,” “Leave the World Behind” and “American Symphony” — were produced by his company Higher Ground, which he founded alongside his wife Michelle.
“I’m biased since these movies were produced by Higher Ground, but these are in fact three of the best films I saw this year,” Obama wrote.
“Rustin” stars Colman Domingo as the overlooked civil rights activist Bayard Rustin; “Leave the World Behind” stars Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali in a mysterious apocalypse story; and “American Symphony” follows the journey of musician Jon Batiste and his life partner Suleika Jaouad as he endeavors to compose a symphony and she learns her cancer has returned.
In a post on X/Twitter, Obama further contextualized his list and acknowledged the...
“I’m biased since these movies were produced by Higher Ground, but these are in fact three of the best films I saw this year,” Obama wrote.
“Rustin” stars Colman Domingo as the overlooked civil rights activist Bayard Rustin; “Leave the World Behind” stars Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali in a mysterious apocalypse story; and “American Symphony” follows the journey of musician Jon Batiste and his life partner Suleika Jaouad as he endeavors to compose a symphony and she learns her cancer has returned.
In a post on X/Twitter, Obama further contextualized his list and acknowledged the...
- 12/27/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar shortlists were released December 21 ahead of the nominations on January 23, 2024, and here we’re covering the crafts of makeup and hairstyling, original score, sound, and visual effects.
The big winners — appearing on three lists — were Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”, Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon”, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,”, and J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow”.
In fact, “Napoleon,” “Poor Things,” and “Society of the Snow” have the potential to be late-season craft juggernauts in competition with “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster “Barbie,” which scored on two lists (original score and sound).
Also making two lists were Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (score and visual effects), Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), Christopher McQuarrie’s “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One...
The big winners — appearing on three lists — were Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”, Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon”, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,”, and J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow”.
In fact, “Napoleon,” “Poor Things,” and “Society of the Snow” have the potential to be late-season craft juggernauts in competition with “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and Greta Gerwig’s billion-dollar blockbuster “Barbie,” which scored on two lists (original score and sound).
Also making two lists were Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (score and visual effects), Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” (makeup and hairstyling and sound), Christopher McQuarrie’s “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One...
- 12/21/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Century City was abuzz Wednesday with the presence of former First Lady Michelle Obama, who was on hand in Los Angeles for meetings at CAA.
The power agency, which closed a deal for new majority ownership in September, represents Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company Higher Ground. Michelle Obama and her team sat for generals across film, TV and other departments, eyewitnesses told Variety.
It’s not a bad time for Higher Ground to take a victory lap. The unit was a producer on Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind,” the dystopian Julia Roberts movie that dominated on the steamer after dropping on Friday — and inspired plenty of social media chatter, including some questionable feedback from X/Twitter owner Elon Musk.
Attendees with Michelle Obama included Higher Ground president Vinnie Malhotra, as well as Joe Paulson and Tonia Davis, another source added. Former President Barack Obama visited CAA himself in late September.
The power agency, which closed a deal for new majority ownership in September, represents Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company Higher Ground. Michelle Obama and her team sat for generals across film, TV and other departments, eyewitnesses told Variety.
It’s not a bad time for Higher Ground to take a victory lap. The unit was a producer on Netflix’s “Leave the World Behind,” the dystopian Julia Roberts movie that dominated on the steamer after dropping on Friday — and inspired plenty of social media chatter, including some questionable feedback from X/Twitter owner Elon Musk.
Attendees with Michelle Obama included Higher Ground president Vinnie Malhotra, as well as Joe Paulson and Tonia Davis, another source added. Former President Barack Obama visited CAA himself in late September.
- 12/13/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Six directors of standout 2023 documentary features gathered at The Hollywood Reporter’s Los Angeles offices in mid-November for THR’s annual Documentary Roundtable.
Among them were two revered veterans with Oscars to their name: Davis Guggenheim (2006’s An Inconvenient Truth), who helmed Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a film about the life and struggles of the beloved actor who was stricken at a young age with Parkinson’s disease; and Roger Ross Williams (2009’s Music by Prudence), director of Stamped From the Beginning, a film about the history of anti-Black racism in America. Meanwhile, a first-time filmmaker, twice-Grammy-nominated producer D. Smith, profiled four Black transgender women who have performed sex work in Kokomo City.
Oscar nominee Nicole Newnham (2020’s Crip Camp) made a documentary portrait of a person once famous but now largely forgotten: The Disappearance of Shere Hite, about the titular sex researcher and her landmark 1976 book about female sexuality.
Among them were two revered veterans with Oscars to their name: Davis Guggenheim (2006’s An Inconvenient Truth), who helmed Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a film about the life and struggles of the beloved actor who was stricken at a young age with Parkinson’s disease; and Roger Ross Williams (2009’s Music by Prudence), director of Stamped From the Beginning, a film about the history of anti-Black racism in America. Meanwhile, a first-time filmmaker, twice-Grammy-nominated producer D. Smith, profiled four Black transgender women who have performed sex work in Kokomo City.
Oscar nominee Nicole Newnham (2020’s Crip Camp) made a documentary portrait of a person once famous but now largely forgotten: The Disappearance of Shere Hite, about the titular sex researcher and her landmark 1976 book about female sexuality.
- 12/13/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There are times when one’s world unexpectedly shifts off its axis, and everyone involved must scramble and find a new center of gravity. November 10, 2021 was such a day for Jon Batiste and his life partner, Suleika Jaouad. That morning, the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert learned he’d been nominated for a stunning 11 Grammy awards — including Album of the Year — for his sixth studio LP, We Are. It was also the morning that Jaouad, a New York Times bestselling author for her memoir, Between Two Kingdoms, began chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that had re-emerged after more than a decade in remission.
Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The highs and lows of an extraordinary year in the couple’s life are captured by director Matthew Heineman in the Oscar-contending Netflix documentary American Symphony...
Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
The highs and lows of an extraordinary year in the couple’s life are captured by director Matthew Heineman in the Oscar-contending Netflix documentary American Symphony...
- 12/12/2023
- by Denise Quan
- Deadline Film + TV
Michelle Obama is giving a boost to American Symphony, the Oscar-contending documentary about musician Jon Batiste and his wife, musician Suleika Jaouad.
The former first lady introduced the Matthew Heineman film at a special screening Thursday night in New Orleans, a place of special significance for Batiste, who was born in nearby Metairie, Louisiana and raised in Kenner just outside N.O. proper. Michelle and Barack Obama are executive producing the Netflix film through their Higher Ground production company, which has a distribution deal with the streaming platform.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be here in Nawlins with all y’all!” Mrs. Obama began. “There is no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film.
The former first lady introduced the Matthew Heineman film at a special screening Thursday night in New Orleans, a place of special significance for Batiste, who was born in nearby Metairie, Louisiana and raised in Kenner just outside N.O. proper. Michelle and Barack Obama are executive producing the Netflix film through their Higher Ground production company, which has a distribution deal with the streaming platform.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be here in Nawlins with all y’all!” Mrs. Obama began. “There is no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film.
- 12/9/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the New Orleans premiere of the documentary American Symphony to support the film she executive produced with husband Barack Obama!
The former First Lady of the United States walked the red carpet with film subject Jon Batiste and his wife Suleika Jaouad on Thursday night (December 7) in New Orleans, La.
They were also joined by director Matthew Heineman.
THR reports that Michelle told the crowd, “I am thrilled to be here in New Orleans with all of you to celebrate this amazing film that we are so, so honored and proud to be a part of. And there’s no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film. American Symphony opens us all up to the power and inevitability of music. Yet this...
The former First Lady of the United States walked the red carpet with film subject Jon Batiste and his wife Suleika Jaouad on Thursday night (December 7) in New Orleans, La.
They were also joined by director Matthew Heineman.
THR reports that Michelle told the crowd, “I am thrilled to be here in New Orleans with all of you to celebrate this amazing film that we are so, so honored and proud to be a part of. And there’s no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film. American Symphony opens us all up to the power and inevitability of music. Yet this...
- 12/9/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Aka Mr. Chow
(HBO Documentary Films)
This portrait directed by Nick Hooker follows the life and career of painter turned restaurateur Michael Chow, the owner of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, as he returns to the art world with his first solo show in nearly 60 years.
American Symphony
(Netflix)
Matthew Heineman switches gears from following the front lines of the Mexican drug war (the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land) and the early days of the Covid crisis in New York City (The First Wave), this time helming an intimate profile of Late Night With Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste as he balances an incredible year of professional success while aiding his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, through her battle with a rare form of cancer.
Anonymous Sister
(Long Shot Factory/Gravitas Ventures)
Emmy Award-winning director Jamie Boyle chronicles her family’s collision with the opioid epidemic. The film, currently holding a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes,...
(HBO Documentary Films)
This portrait directed by Nick Hooker follows the life and career of painter turned restaurateur Michael Chow, the owner of the Mr Chow restaurant chain, as he returns to the art world with his first solo show in nearly 60 years.
American Symphony
(Netflix)
Matthew Heineman switches gears from following the front lines of the Mexican drug war (the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land) and the early days of the Covid crisis in New York City (The First Wave), this time helming an intimate profile of Late Night With Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste as he balances an incredible year of professional success while aiding his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, through her battle with a rare form of cancer.
Anonymous Sister
(Long Shot Factory/Gravitas Ventures)
Emmy Award-winning director Jamie Boyle chronicles her family’s collision with the opioid epidemic. The film, currently holding a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Tyler Coates and Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance Thursday night at the New Orleans premiere of American Symphony, Matthew Heineman’s Netflix documentary feature about musician Jon Batiste and his wife Suleika Jaouad, on which she and Barack Obama are credited as executive producers. Heineman, Batiste and Jaouad were also in attendance.
“I am thrilled to be here in New Orleans with all of you to celebrate this amazing film that we are so, so honored and proud to be a part of,” the former first lady and current partner in Higher Ground Productions said to a crowd of some 1,000 locals at the famed Orpheum Theater. “And there’s no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film.” She continued, “American Symphony opens us all up to the power and inevitability of music.
“I am thrilled to be here in New Orleans with all of you to celebrate this amazing film that we are so, so honored and proud to be a part of,” the former first lady and current partner in Higher Ground Productions said to a crowd of some 1,000 locals at the famed Orpheum Theater. “And there’s no better place to lift up this work than in the city where music is at the heart of everything, because music is at the heart of this film.” She continued, “American Symphony opens us all up to the power and inevitability of music.
- 12/8/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plot: A moving portrait of musician Jon Batiste, who in 2022 found himself the most celebrated artist of the year with eleven Grammy nominations including Album of the Year. In the midst of that triumph, Jon embarks on his most ambitious challenge to date, composing an original symphony. This trajectory was upended, however, when his life partner — best-selling author Suleika Jaouad — learns that her long-dormant cancer has returned.
Review: Few things are as subjective as art, whether film, music, literature or any other creative outlet. Fame is also fleeting, but when true artistry mixes with the zeitgeist, it can be powerful. Jon Batiste is an artist who has found success in many forms, personally and professionally. Best known as the band leader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and for his Oscar-winning score for Pixar’s Soul, Batiste won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2022 despite much of...
Review: Few things are as subjective as art, whether film, music, literature or any other creative outlet. Fame is also fleeting, but when true artistry mixes with the zeitgeist, it can be powerful. Jon Batiste is an artist who has found success in many forms, personally and professionally. Best known as the band leader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and for his Oscar-winning score for Pixar’s Soul, Batiste won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2022 despite much of...
- 12/1/2023
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
When we talk about ‘American Symphony’, the conversation inevitably turns to the poignant tapestry woven by the lives and talents of Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad. Their contributions to the series are not just performances; they are raw, emotional experiences that resonate with viewers on a profound level. As we explore some of the most must-see moments from the series, we delve into the depth of their artistry and the personal journeys that intertwine with their creative expressions. Jon Batiste makes his mark Jon Batiste’s character introduction in ‘American Symphony’ is more than just a debut; it’s a statement. His...
- 11/30/2023
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
In 2021, when Jon Batiste received as many as eleven Grammy award nominations, a lot of articles came out about the man. Some of them hailed him as a legend for achieving such a feat; some compared him with the likes of someone as huge as Taylor Swift; and then some appeared salty about Batiste getting nominated for a classical song. The reason for the latter was Batiste not being a conventional classical musician, per se. In Netflix’s American Symphony, we have a scene where Batiste reads out all those articles in a tone of mockery. The scene cuts to a toilet door, and we hear Batiste still making fun of the articles. That scene alone speaks volumes about the documentary, which is inarguably one of the best that has come out of the Netflix stable this year. When I dissect a film under the critic’s lens’, I never...
- 11/30/2023
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
Recently we had the pleasure of sitting down with Jon Batiste, Suleika Jaouad and filmmaker Matthew Heineman to talk about their new film American Symphony, which hits home on Netflix today.
Linda Marric chartered their long journey in a series of interviews about their unforgettable documentary centring around the multi-Grammy winning artist who, whilst celebrating a triumphant year in music learns that his beloved wife’s long dormant cancer has returned.
Early in 2022, multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste finds himself the most celebrated artist of the year with eleven Grammy nominations including Album of the Year. In the midst of that triumph, Jon is immersed in his most ambitious challenge yet: composing “American Symphony”, an original symphony that thrillingly reimagines the classical traditions of the form, bringing together an expansive and inclusive diaspora of music for a performance at storied Carnegie Hall. This extraordinary trajectory is upended, however, when Batiste’s life...
Linda Marric chartered their long journey in a series of interviews about their unforgettable documentary centring around the multi-Grammy winning artist who, whilst celebrating a triumphant year in music learns that his beloved wife’s long dormant cancer has returned.
Early in 2022, multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste finds himself the most celebrated artist of the year with eleven Grammy nominations including Album of the Year. In the midst of that triumph, Jon is immersed in his most ambitious challenge yet: composing “American Symphony”, an original symphony that thrillingly reimagines the classical traditions of the form, bringing together an expansive and inclusive diaspora of music for a performance at storied Carnegie Hall. This extraordinary trajectory is upended, however, when Batiste’s life...
- 11/29/2023
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
One has two degrees from Juilliard, and the other went straight from the streets of Atlanta to the studio, where he helped invent trap as we know it. They come from wildly different musical worlds, but Jon Batiste and Gucci Mane found plenty of common ground when they came together for an onstage discussion at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn as part of Rolling Stone’s first-ever Musicians on Musicians live event. Earlier that same day, Batiste scored five Grammy nominations for his latest album, World Music Radio, featuring...
- 11/29/2023
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
On Nov. 21, 2021, Jon Batiste found out that he had been nominated for 11 Grammys, ranging from Best Contemporary Classical Composition to Best Improvised Jazz Solo; his most recent work, the roots-to-r&b melting pot We Are, was up for the Best Album of the Year award. He was six years into his tenure as the bandleader for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, his musical collective Stay Human was gigging and touring on the regular, and he’d won an Oscar for co-writing the score for the Pixar movie Soul. The...
- 11/28/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Missing Riverdale? We have you covered with the trailer for The Archies, a musical film from Netflix India about Archie, Veronica, Betty & Co., premiering Thursday, Dec. 7.
“Set in 1960s India in the fictional hill station town called Riverdale, The Archies is a coming-of-age musical following the lives of the town’s favorite set of teenagers – Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Ethel and Dilton. Seen through the lens of the unique Anglo-Indian community, The Archies explores friendship, freedom, love, heartbreak and rebellion,” reads the official synopsis.
More from TVLineUpside-Down NCIS: Sydney Promos Will Turn Heads - Exclusive First LookNew Captain America...
“Set in 1960s India in the fictional hill station town called Riverdale, The Archies is a coming-of-age musical following the lives of the town’s favorite set of teenagers – Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Ethel and Dilton. Seen through the lens of the unique Anglo-Indian community, The Archies explores friendship, freedom, love, heartbreak and rebellion,” reads the official synopsis.
More from TVLineUpside-Down NCIS: Sydney Promos Will Turn Heads - Exclusive First LookNew Captain America...
- 11/9/2023
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
"We both see survival as a creative act." So create and create again. Netflix has revealed the official trailer for an acclaimed documentary film titled American Symphony, which premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival recently. It will be available for streaming at the end of November. In the intimate American Symphony, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director Matthew Heineman delivers a portrait of two inimitable artists at a crossroads and a profound meditation on art, love, and the creative process. The film follows a year year in the life of iconic musician Jon Batiste, chronicling his career in music and struggles with his wife's diagnosis, as his partner Suleika Jaouad must battle leukemia. The doc film is exec produced by Barack Obama & Michelle Obama through their Higher Ground Productions label. Reviews from the festival state that American Symphony is "sometimes joyful, sometimes somber celebration of spirit." A heartfelt story about tenacity,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The latest feature from David Fincher, a big-budget drama series from Steven Knight and Shawn Levy, and an Oscar hopeful starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster are among the standout new additions hitting Netflix in November.
With The Killer, Fincher reteams with Seven writer Andrew Kevin Walker to adapt the graphic novel written by Alexis Nolent. The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year and debuts on Netflix on Nov. 10, stars Michael Fassbender as a shadowy unnamed assassin and features a cast that includes Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Gabriel Polanco, Kerry O’Malley, Emiliano Pernía, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte and Tilda Swinton.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of The Killer described the film as “a satisfyingly retro, location-hopping genre exercise with fisticuffs, gadgets (albeit ones bought from Amazon) and smooth-talking antagonists that all plays like a tongue-in-cheek spoof of James Bond movies.”
All the Light We Cannot See...
With The Killer, Fincher reteams with Seven writer Andrew Kevin Walker to adapt the graphic novel written by Alexis Nolent. The film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year and debuts on Netflix on Nov. 10, stars Michael Fassbender as a shadowy unnamed assassin and features a cast that includes Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Gabriel Polanco, Kerry O’Malley, Emiliano Pernía, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte and Tilda Swinton.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s review of The Killer described the film as “a satisfyingly retro, location-hopping genre exercise with fisticuffs, gadgets (albeit ones bought from Amazon) and smooth-talking antagonists that all plays like a tongue-in-cheek spoof of James Bond movies.”
All the Light We Cannot See...
- 11/2/2023
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar-nominated director Matthew Heineman and late filmmaker Nancy Buirski will be honored at the Hamptons Doc Fest in New York next month.
Heineman, whose latest film, American Symphony, premiered to acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival, will receive the prestigious Pennebaker Career Achievement Award, named for the legendary filmmaker and pioneer of “direct cinema” D.A. Pennebaker. Heineman is expected to be on hand to receive the honor, which has previously gone to Richard Leacock, Susan Lacy, Barbara Kopple, Stanley Nelson Jr., Alex Gibney, Liz Garbus, Sheila Nevins, Frederick Wiseman, Dawn Porter, Sam Pollard, and to Pennebaker and and his wife and filmmaking partner Chris Hegedus.
Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
Hamptons Doc Fest will screen American Symphony, which has been acquired by the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground through the former first couple’s deal with Netflix. The documentary about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste and his wife, the musician Suleika Jaouad,...
Heineman, whose latest film, American Symphony, premiered to acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival, will receive the prestigious Pennebaker Career Achievement Award, named for the legendary filmmaker and pioneer of “direct cinema” D.A. Pennebaker. Heineman is expected to be on hand to receive the honor, which has previously gone to Richard Leacock, Susan Lacy, Barbara Kopple, Stanley Nelson Jr., Alex Gibney, Liz Garbus, Sheila Nevins, Frederick Wiseman, Dawn Porter, Sam Pollard, and to Pennebaker and and his wife and filmmaking partner Chris Hegedus.
Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
Hamptons Doc Fest will screen American Symphony, which has been acquired by the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground through the former first couple’s deal with Netflix. The documentary about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste and his wife, the musician Suleika Jaouad,...
- 10/21/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2023 Cinema Eye Honors have unveiled the 20 titles for its Audience Choice Prize Long List, with voting now open.
The 17th annual awards ceremony also recognized the best nonfiction and documentary films and series across five Broadcast categories and a Shorts List with 10 of the year’s top documentary short films, as well as the 20 films in the running for the Audience Choice Prize Long List.
This year’s list includes films from Cinema Eye Honors alumni including “The Eternal Memory,” “American Symphony,” “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” “Stamped from the Beginning,” “32 Sounds,” “A Compassionate Spy,” “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” “The Mission,” “The Pigeon Tunnel,” and “Stephen Curry: Underrated.”
Hulu series “The 1619 Project” and Showtime’s “Nothing Lasts Forever” lead the Broadcast Film and Series nominations with three nods each. The “1619 Project,” adapted from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’s work with The New...
The 17th annual awards ceremony also recognized the best nonfiction and documentary films and series across five Broadcast categories and a Shorts List with 10 of the year’s top documentary short films, as well as the 20 films in the running for the Audience Choice Prize Long List.
This year’s list includes films from Cinema Eye Honors alumni including “The Eternal Memory,” “American Symphony,” “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” “Stamped from the Beginning,” “32 Sounds,” “A Compassionate Spy,” “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” “The Mission,” “The Pigeon Tunnel,” and “Stephen Curry: Underrated.”
Hulu series “The 1619 Project” and Showtime’s “Nothing Lasts Forever” lead the Broadcast Film and Series nominations with three nods each. The “1619 Project,” adapted from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’s work with The New...
- 10/19/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Hulu’s “The 1619 Project” and Showtime’s “Nothing Lasts Forever” lead all broadcast documentaries in nominations for the 17th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were announced on Thursday during the Cinema Eye Fall Lunch at Redbird in downtown Los Angeles.
Each of the programs received three nominations in the five broadcast categories, with “The 1619 Project” nominated in the Anthology Series, cinematography and editing categories and “Nothing Lasts Forever” singled out in Broadcast film, cinematography and editing categories.
Other programs with multiple nominations include the broadcast movie “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the nonfiction series “Dear Mama” and “Paul T. Goldman” and the anthology series “Edge of the Unknown With Jimmy Chin” and “Our Planet II.”
Hulu led all networks and platforms with eight nominations, followed by Netflix with five and Showtime with four.
Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based organization devoted to honoring all facets of nonfiction filmmaking, also...
Each of the programs received three nominations in the five broadcast categories, with “The 1619 Project” nominated in the Anthology Series, cinematography and editing categories and “Nothing Lasts Forever” singled out in Broadcast film, cinematography and editing categories.
Other programs with multiple nominations include the broadcast movie “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” the nonfiction series “Dear Mama” and “Paul T. Goldman” and the anthology series “Edge of the Unknown With Jimmy Chin” and “Our Planet II.”
Hulu led all networks and platforms with eight nominations, followed by Netflix with five and Showtime with four.
Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based organization devoted to honoring all facets of nonfiction filmmaking, also...
- 10/19/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The documentary festival Doc NYC has unveiled the full lineup for its 14th edition. It will be a total of 114 features and 129 short films. The festival runs in-person November 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East by Angelika and continues online through November 26 with films available to viewers across the U.S.
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards. The Winner’s Circle are films already feted at major international film events while Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
Short List: Features
20 Days In Mariupol
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the...
The Short Lists sections showcase a selection of nonfiction features and shorts that the festival’s programming team considers to be among the year’s strongest contenders for Oscars and other awards. The Winner’s Circle are films already feted at major international film events while Come As You Are section highlights films about people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities.
Short List: Features
20 Days In Mariupol
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Producers: Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson Rath, Derl McCrudden
An AP team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the...
- 10/18/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
PBS’ “20 Days in Mariupol,” IFC’s “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” and MTV’s “The Eternal Memory” are among Doc NYC’s 14th edition featuring 114 features and 129 short films.
The shortlist for Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., was launched in 2012 and has become a key indicator and predictor for the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature category. Ten out of the last 11 winners for documentary feature were screened at the festival. In addition, 12 of the 15 shortlisted docs from 2022 were among its lineup.
Some other notable inclusions are Julie Cohen’s moving “Every Body” about the generation of intersex people living among us, Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” an intimate look at the queer rock ‘n’ roll legend, and Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony,” an emotional look into the life of singer Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall.
The festival runs from Nov.
The shortlist for Doc NYC, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., was launched in 2012 and has become a key indicator and predictor for the Academy Awards’ best documentary feature category. Ten out of the last 11 winners for documentary feature were screened at the festival. In addition, 12 of the 15 shortlisted docs from 2022 were among its lineup.
Some other notable inclusions are Julie Cohen’s moving “Every Body” about the generation of intersex people living among us, Lisa Cortés’ “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” an intimate look at the queer rock ‘n’ roll legend, and Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony,” an emotional look into the life of singer Jon Batiste as he prepares for his performance at Carnegie Hall.
The festival runs from Nov.
- 10/17/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, on Tuesday announced its lineup in the short and feature categories, as well as for its Winner’s Circle category and its new section for 2023 titled Come As You Are.
All shortlisted films will have theatrical screenings at the festival. With Tuesday’s announcement, Doc NYC will present a total of 114 features and 129 short films in its 14th year, including 33 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
The festival will run this year Nov. 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East Angelika in New York, and will run online through Nov. 26.
The festival’s new Come As You Are section features films about “people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities,” according to the festival. The Doc NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012. For 10 of the last 11 years, the festival has screened doc features...
All shortlisted films will have theatrical screenings at the festival. With Tuesday’s announcement, Doc NYC will present a total of 114 features and 129 short films in its 14th year, including 33 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.
The festival will run this year Nov. 8-16 at IFC Center, Sva Theatre and Village East Angelika in New York, and will run online through Nov. 26.
The festival’s new Come As You Are section features films about “people striving to find their place in the world, or in their communities,” according to the festival. The Doc NYC Short List for documentary features was launched in 2012. For 10 of the last 11 years, the festival has screened doc features...
- 10/17/2023
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’
American Symphony earned six nominations, topping the list of 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda) nominees. American Symphony, which focuses on Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad, picked up nominations in categories including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Matthew Heineman), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score (Jon Batiste), and Best Music Documentary.
Three documentaries – 20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – followed with five nominations each. Documentarian Ross McElwee has been chosen to receive The Pennebaker Award (the Ccda’s lifetime achievement honor).
Winners will be announced during the Eighth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards to be held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Actor and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac (Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas) will host the awards for the second consecutive year.
The Ccda will live-stream on Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter...
American Symphony earned six nominations, topping the list of 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda) nominees. American Symphony, which focuses on Jon Batiste and his wife, Suleika Jaouad, picked up nominations in categories including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Matthew Heineman), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score (Jon Batiste), and Best Music Documentary.
Three documentaries – 20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City, and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie – followed with five nominations each. Documentarian Ross McElwee has been chosen to receive The Pennebaker Award (the Ccda’s lifetime achievement honor).
Winners will be announced during the Eighth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards to be held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Actor and standup comedian Wyatt Cenac (Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas) will host the awards for the second consecutive year.
The Ccda will live-stream on Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter...
- 10/16/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Matthew Heineman’s “American Symphony” leads all films with six nominations for the 8th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Association announced on Monday.
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
The film, a Netflix doc that follows musician Jon Batiste and his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, as Batiste prepares a composition for Carnegie Hall and Jaouad battles the return of her cancer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score and Best Music Documentary categories. Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol,” D. Smith’s “Kokomo City” and Davis Guggenhein’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” received five nominations each.
Apart from “American Symphony,” “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Kokomo City” and “Still,” films nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category were “Beyond Utopia,” “The Deepest Breath,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Judy Blume Forever,” “The Mission” and “Stamped From the Beginning.”
All of those films received nominations in multiple categories,...
- 10/16/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Matthew Heineman’s American Symphony, a portrait of musician Jon Batiste as he experiences professional success amid the personal challenge of his wife Suleika Jaouad’s cancer battle, leads the nominations for the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
American Symphony is up for six awards including best documentary feature. The film is also nominated for best director (Heineman), cinematography (Heineman, Tony Hardmon and Thorsten Thielow), editing (Heineman, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession and Fernando Villegas), score (Batiste) and best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each scored five nods, with all three titles up for best doc feature and best editing.
20 Days in Mariupol is additionally nominated for best first doc, narration (Mstyslav Chernov) and political doc. Kokomo City is also up for best first doc, cinematography and score (D. Smith). Still is up for best director (Davis Guggenheim), narration (Fox) and biographical doc.
American Symphony is up for six awards including best documentary feature. The film is also nominated for best director (Heineman), cinematography (Heineman, Tony Hardmon and Thorsten Thielow), editing (Heineman, Sammy Dane, Jim Hession and Fernando Villegas), score (Batiste) and best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol, Kokomo City and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie each scored five nods, with all three titles up for best doc feature and best editing.
20 Days in Mariupol is additionally nominated for best first doc, narration (Mstyslav Chernov) and political doc. Kokomo City is also up for best first doc, cinematography and score (D. Smith). Still is up for best director (Davis Guggenheim), narration (Fox) and biographical doc.
- 10/16/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Virginia Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 36th year, which will take place in Charlottesville from Oct. 25-29. Netflix’s Maestro — written, produced and directed by and starring Bradley Cooper as legendary composer Leonard Bernstein — will be the festival’s opening night film. Makeup effects artist Kazu Hiro, a two-time Academy Award winner for Bombshell and Darkest Hour, will receive the Vaff Craft Award at the screening.
The festival’s centerpiece film will be Focus Features’ The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa. Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly teacher at a New England prep school who forms an unexpected bond with one of his unruly students (Sessa) during Christmas break. The film’s Academy Award-winning producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man), also the Vaff’s advisory board chair, will appear for a post-screening discussion.
Netflix’s American Symphony,...
The festival’s centerpiece film will be Focus Features’ The Holdovers, directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa. Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly teacher at a New England prep school who forms an unexpected bond with one of his unruly students (Sessa) during Christmas break. The film’s Academy Award-winning producer Mark Johnson (Rain Man), also the Vaff’s advisory board chair, will appear for a post-screening discussion.
Netflix’s American Symphony,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2023 Montclair Film Festival, one of the Northeast’s top regional fall fests, announced Wednesday that the Nicolas Cage film “Dream Scenario” will serve as this year’s opening night feature, while new films from Alexander Payne, Roger Ross Williams, Todd Haynes, and Matthew Heineman will also screen during the annual event.
“Dream Scenario,” due out in November via A24, premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and won rave reviews for Cage. The feature will kick off the 2023 Montclair Film Festival on October 20 followed by a conversation with writer-director Kristoffer Borgli.
“Stamped from the Beginning,” Williams’ documentary, will serve as the 2023 Mff Documentary Centerpiece screening. That event takes place on October 22, and Williams will attend for a post-screening Q&a.
“The Holdovers” – Payne’s top awards contender following its splashy showing at the Telluride Film Festival and in Toronto, where it was runner-up for the TIFF audience...
“Dream Scenario,” due out in November via A24, premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and won rave reviews for Cage. The feature will kick off the 2023 Montclair Film Festival on October 20 followed by a conversation with writer-director Kristoffer Borgli.
“Stamped from the Beginning,” Williams’ documentary, will serve as the 2023 Mff Documentary Centerpiece screening. That event takes place on October 22, and Williams will attend for a post-screening Q&a.
“The Holdovers” – Payne’s top awards contender following its splashy showing at the Telluride Film Festival and in Toronto, where it was runner-up for the TIFF audience...
- 9/20/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
The lineup for Montclair Film’s 2023 festival is set to feature screenings of Dream Scenario, Eileen and Stamped From the Beginning, as well as discussions with director Todd Haynes and award-winning musician Jon Batiste.
The 12th annual edition of the New Jersey-based event will kick off with an opening night screening and Q&a for Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario, a comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a listless family man and professor who becomes an overnight celebrity after becoming a central figure of others’ dreams. It will close with William Oldroyd’s period psychological thriller Eileen, starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie.
This year, the Alexander Payne-directed and Paul Giamatti-starring The Holdovers has been named the Fiction Centerpiece selection and Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams, based on Sara Varonas’ popular graphic novel, is the Family Centerpiece. As the 2023 Documentary Centerpiece, Roger Ross Williams’ adaptation of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi...
The 12th annual edition of the New Jersey-based event will kick off with an opening night screening and Q&a for Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario, a comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a listless family man and professor who becomes an overnight celebrity after becoming a central figure of others’ dreams. It will close with William Oldroyd’s period psychological thriller Eileen, starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie.
This year, the Alexander Payne-directed and Paul Giamatti-starring The Holdovers has been named the Fiction Centerpiece selection and Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams, based on Sara Varonas’ popular graphic novel, is the Family Centerpiece. As the 2023 Documentary Centerpiece, Roger Ross Williams’ adaptation of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi...
- 9/20/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film will release globally later this year.
Netflix has made another fall festival acquisition, swooping with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground on worldwide rights to Matthew Heineman’s Telluride documentary American Symphony.
The film follows a year in the life of musician and Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste as he navigates the stresses and struggles of his meteoric rise winnings six Grammys and preparing the American Symphony for Carnegie Hall, while his wife and bestelling author Suleika Jaouad is diagnosed with the return of Leukemia.
Heineman, Lauren Domino, and Joedan Okun produced American Symphony, and executive producers are Alice Webb,...
Netflix has made another fall festival acquisition, swooping with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground on worldwide rights to Matthew Heineman’s Telluride documentary American Symphony.
The film follows a year in the life of musician and Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste as he navigates the stresses and struggles of his meteoric rise winnings six Grammys and preparing the American Symphony for Carnegie Hall, while his wife and bestelling author Suleika Jaouad is diagnosed with the return of Leukemia.
Heineman, Lauren Domino, and Joedan Okun produced American Symphony, and executive producers are Alice Webb,...
- 9/19/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
All of Us Strangers
Telluride
A lonely gay London writer, orphaned young, revisits his past while starting a new romance with a neighbor in Andrew Haigh’s hauntingly beautiful study of grief, love and family. With a quartet of shattering performances from Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell, this is a soul-stirring work, heartfelt and unforgettable. — David Rooney
American Symphony
Telluride
Matthew Heineman’s deeply moving doc follows musician Jon Batiste and his life partner, Suleika Jaouad, through a year of highs (his exploding career) and lows (her cancer recurrence). It’s a concert film, a love story and a snapshot of America’s dogged emergence from the pandemic. — Daniel Fienberg
The Boy and the Heron
Toronto
Hayao Miyazaki emerges from retirement with a profoundly personal swan song — a rumination on love, loss and the intersection between life and death in a world spinning out of control.
Telluride
A lonely gay London writer, orphaned young, revisits his past while starting a new romance with a neighbor in Andrew Haigh’s hauntingly beautiful study of grief, love and family. With a quartet of shattering performances from Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell, this is a soul-stirring work, heartfelt and unforgettable. — David Rooney
American Symphony
Telluride
Matthew Heineman’s deeply moving doc follows musician Jon Batiste and his life partner, Suleika Jaouad, through a year of highs (his exploding career) and lows (her cancer recurrence). It’s a concert film, a love story and a snapshot of America’s dogged emergence from the pandemic. — Daniel Fienberg
The Boy and the Heron
Toronto
Hayao Miyazaki emerges from retirement with a profoundly personal swan song — a rumination on love, loss and the intersection between life and death in a world spinning out of control.
- 9/19/2023
- by David Rooney, Sheri Linden, Jon Frosch, Leslie Felperin, Jordan Mintzer and Michael Rechstshaffen
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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