American Symphony
Release poster
Directed byMatthew Heineman
Produced by
  • Matthew Heineman
  • Lauren Domino
  • Joedan Okun
StarringJon Batiste
Cinematography
  • Tony Hardman
  • Matthew Heineman
  • Thorsten Thielow
Edited by
  • Sammy Dane
  • Matthew Heineman
  • Jim Hession
  • Fernando Villegas
Music byJon Batiste
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • August 31, 2023 (2023-08-31) (Telluride)
  • November 29, 2023 (2023-11-29)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

American Symphony is a 2023 American biographical documentary film, written, shot, and edited by Matthew Heineman. It explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, his music career, and his wife's struggle with leukemia.

It had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released by Netflix on November 29, 2023.

Premise

Explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, chronicling his career in music (including his 11 nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards) and the struggles his wife, Suleika Jaouad, faces with leukemia.

Release

American Symphony had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023.[1] Shortly after, Netflix and Higher Ground Productions acquired distribution rights to the film.[2] It was released on November 29, 2023.[3]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "More than a standard musician's documentary, American Symphony uses its behind-the-scenes access to present a portrait of courage and creativity."[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[5]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Woodstock Film Festival 30 September 2023 Audience Award – Best Documentary Feature American Symphony Won [6]
Middleburg Film Festival 22 October 2023 Documentary Spotlight Award Matthew Heineman Won [7]
Virginia Film Festival 29 October 2023 Audience Award – Documentary Feature American Symphony Won [8]
Directorial Achievement Award Matthew Heineman Won
Montclair Film Festival 30 October 2023 Audience Award – Documentary Feature American Symphony Won [9]
Documentary Filmmaker Award Matthew Heineman Won
Philadelphia Film Festival 29 October 2023 Audience Award – Documentary Feature American Symphony Won [10]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 12 November 2023 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [11]
Best Music Documentary Won
Best Director Matthew Heineman Nominated
Best Score Jon Batiste Won
Best Cinematography Tony Hardmon, Matthew Heineman, Thorsten Thielow Nominated
Best Editing Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Matthew Heineman, Fernando Villegas Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 10 December 2023 Best Documentary American Symphony Nominated [12]
St. Louis Film Critics Association 17 December 2023 Best Documentary Film Won[lower-alpha 1] [13]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 18 December 2023 Best Documentary Film Won [14]
San Diego Film Critics Society 19 December 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [15]
Capri Hollywood International Film Festival 2 January 2024 Best Documentary Feature Won [16]
[17]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists 3 January 2024 Best Documentary Won[lower-alpha 2] [18]
Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards 6 January 2024 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [19]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards 9 January 2024 Best Documentary Film Nominated [20]
Cinema Eye Honors 12 January 2024 Outstanding Production Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman and Joedan Okun Nominated [21]
Outstanding Original Score Jon Batiste Nominated
Audience Choice Prize American Symphony Nominated
The Unforgettables Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad Won
Black Reel Awards 16 January 2024 Outstanding Documentary Feature American Symphony Pending [22]
Outstanding Score Jon Batiste Pending
Outstanding Original Song Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Pending
Satellite Awards 18 February 2024 Best Motion Picture – Documentary American Symphony Pending [23]
Best Original Song Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Pending
Best Sound (Editing and Mixing) Tristan Baylis, Matt Snedecor, and William Tzouris Pending
Society of Composers & Lyricists 23 February 2024 Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film Jon Batiste Pending [24]
Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Pending
Cinema Audio Society Awards 2 March 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Picture – Documentary Tom Paul, Tristan Baylis, Ryan Collison Pending [25]

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Davis, Clayton (August 30, 2023). "Telluride Lineup Includes World Premieres of 'Saltburn,' 'The Bikeriders' and 'Rustin' With Tributes for Yorgos Lanthimos and Wim Wenders". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ Feinberg, Scott (September 18, 2023). "Jon Batiste Doc 'American Symphony' Acquired by Netflix and Higher Ground; Oscar Run Set for This Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  3. ↑ Davis, Clayton (October 12, 2023). "Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson Enter Oscars Race for Original Song With Netflix Doc 'American Symphony'". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. ↑ "American Symphony". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  5. ↑ "American Symphony". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Award Winners from the 24th Annual Woodstock Film Festival". Woodstock Film Festival. October 1, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  7. ↑ Davis, Clayton (October 23, 2023). "Cord Jefferson's 'American Fiction' Wins Audience Award at Middleburg Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Award Winners". Virginia Film Festival. May 9, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  9. ↑ "2023 Montclair Film Festival Award Winners Announced! | Montclair Film". montclairfilm.org. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  10. ↑ Bogg, Smalley (November 1, 2023). "Winners of the Philadelphia Film Festival Awards". phindie. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  11. ↑ Zilko, Christian (November 13, 2023). "'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie' Sweeps the Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  12. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 9, 2023). "The 2023 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  13. ↑ Anderson, Eric. "2023 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". awardswatch.com. AwardsWatch. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ Jorgenson, Todd (December 18, 2023). "DFW Film Critics Name The Holdovers Best Picture of 2023". Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  15. ↑ Anderson, Erik (December 15, 2023). "San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) Nominations". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  16. ↑ "OPPENHEIMER DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER NOLAN TO BE HONORED WITH THE "CAPRI BEST ENSEMBLE CAST AWARD 2023"" (Press release). Capri Hollywood International Film Festival. December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  17. ↑ "A Capri trionfa Oppenheimer con 7 Awards, poi Barbie e Maestro". Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (in Italian). January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  18. ↑ Merin, Jennifer (December 22, 2023). "2023 EDA Awards Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Erik (December 7, 2023). "'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' Lead Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Astra Awards Nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  20. ↑ Neglia, Matt (January 5, 2024). "The 2023 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  21. ↑ Saperstein, Pat (November 16, 2023). "'Kokomo City' Leads Nominations for Cinema Eye Documentary Honors". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  22. ↑ Complex, Valerie (December 15, 2023). "Black Reel Awards Nominations: 'The Color Purple' And 'Rustin' Dominate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  23. ↑ "IPA Reveals Nominations for the 28th Satellite™ Awards". International Press Academy. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  24. ↑ Neglia, Matt (December 21, 2023). "The 2023 Society Of Composers And Lyricists (SCL) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  25. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (January 9, 2024). "Cinema Audio Society Awards Nominations: Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Eras Tour & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
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