Documentary

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 partner - best-selling author Suleika Jaouad - learns that her long dormant cancer has returned. In the moving and deeply intimate AMERICAN SYMPHONY, Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, The First Wave, Retrograde) delivers a portrait of two inimitable artists at a crossroad and a profound meditation on art, love, and the creative process.

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Awards
CRITICS CHOICE DOCUMENTARY AWARDS
NOMINEE
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST DIRECTORMatthew Heineman
CINEMATOGRAPHY
EDITING
SCORE
MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Cinema Eye Honors Awards
WINNER
The Unforgettables
Middleburg Film Festival
WINNER
Director Spotlight Award - Documentary Spotlight AwardMatthew Heineman
Montclair Film Festival
WINNER
Audience AwardDocumentary Feature
NOMINEE
Documentary Filmmaker AwardMatthew Heineman
Woodstock Film Festival
WINNER
Audience AwardBest Documentary Feature