American Symphony is a 2023 American biographical documentary film directed, 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. The film received a Best Original Song nomination, for "It Never Went Away", at the 96th Academy Awards.
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. Shortly after, Netflix and Higher Ground Productions acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on November 29, 2023.
Reception Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
The film has been praised for its candid look at the creative process in the face of the hurdles that life throws in the way. Steve Pond of The Wrap stated the film is, "about the creation of art in the face of pressure, tragedy and heartbreak, and about the tension between the glory of creation and the pain of living. It manages to capture the glory but it never ignores the price." John Nugent of Empire Magazine said, "Moving and musical, this is a striking portrait of courage and creativity in the face of some horrific odds chucked at you by life’s lottery."
Director Matthew Heineman has been hailed for his handling of the subject, with Amy Nicholson of LAist's Film Week stating, "This is off base for [director Matthew Heineman], but he brings this great cinematic scale to it," and Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News adding "Both Batiste and Jaouad put their faith and trust in Heineman, and the result is a candid testament to an unconditional love that’s threatened by cancer but defined by one remarkable couple’s commitment to get through it together."
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Academy Awards March 10, 2024 Best Original Song Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Alliance of Women Film Journalists January 3, 2024 Best Documentary American Symphony American Cinema Editors March 3, 2024 Best Edited Documentary (Theatrical) Sammy Dane, Matthew Heineman, Jim Hession, and Fernando Villegas Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards January 6, 2024 Best Documentary Feature American Symphony Black Film Critics Circle December 20, 2023 Best Documentary Black Reel Awards January 16, 2024 Outstanding Documentary Feature Outstanding Score Jon Batiste Outstanding Original Song Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Capri Hollywood International Film Festival January 2, 2024 Best Documentary Feature American Symphony Cinema Audio Society Awards March 2, 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Picture – Documentary Tom Paul, Tristan Baylis, and Ryan Collison Cinema Eye Honors January 12, 2024 Outstanding Production Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman, and Joedan Okun Outstanding Original Score Jon Batiste Audience Choice Prize American Symphony The Unforgettables Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 12, 2023 Best Documentary Feature American Symphony Best Music Documentary Best Director Matthew Heineman Best Score Jon Batiste Best Cinematography Tony Hardmon, Matthew Heineman, and Thorsten Thielow Best Editing Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Matthew Heineman, and Fernando Villegas Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association December 18, 2023 Best Documentary Film American Symphony Denver Film Critics Society January 12, 2024 Best Documentary Feature Golden Reel Awards March 3, 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Documentary Ignacio Bonet Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary Tristan Baylis, Tom Paul, Leslie Bloome, Matt Snedecor, and Mark Filip Grammy Awards February 2, 2025 Best Music Film Jon Batiste, Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, and Joedan Okun Best Song Written for Visual Media Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Houston Film Critics Society January 22, 2024 Best Documentary Feature American Symphony Indiana Film Journalists Association December 17, 2023 Best Documentary Las Vegas Film Critics Society December 13, 2023 Best Documentary Middleburg Film Festival October 22, 2023 Documentary Spotlight Award Matthew Heineman Montclair Film Festival October 30, 2023 Audience Award – Documentary Feature American Symphony Documentary Filmmaker Award Matthew Heineman NAACP Image Awards March 16, 2024 Outstanding Documentary (Film) American Symphony North Texas Film Critics Association December 18, 2023 Best Documentary Film Oklahoma Film Critics Circle January 3, 2024 Best Documentary Philadelphia Film Festival October 29, 2023 Audience Award – Documentary Feature Producers Guild of America Awards February 25, 2024 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures San Diego Film Critics Society December 19, 2023 Best Documentary San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards January 9, 2024 Best Documentary Film Satellite Awards March 3, 2024 Best Motion Picture – Documentary Best Original Song Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Best Sound (Editing and Mixing) Tristan Baylis, Matt Snedecor, and William Tzouris Society of Composers & Lyricists February 13, 2024 Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film Jon Batiste Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") St. Louis Film Critics Association December 17, 2023 Best Documentary Film American Symphony Vancouver Film Critics Circle February 12, 2024 Best Documentary Virginia Film Festival October 29, 2023 Audience Award – Documentary Feature Directorial Achievement Award Matthew Heineman Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards December 10, 2023 Best Documentary American Symphony Woodstock Film Festival September 30, 2023 Audience Award – Best Documentary Feature World Soundtrack Awards October 17, 2024 Best Original Song Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") Cinema for Peace Awards 2024 Dove for The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year American Symphony
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