20 Feet from Stardom

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20 Feet from Stardom
Twenty Feet From Stardom poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMorgan Neville
Produced byGil Friesen
Caitrin Rogers
Michael K. Ross
StarringDarlene Love
Judith Hill
Merry Clayton
Lisa Fischer
Tata Vega
Jo Lawry
CinematographyGraham Willoughby
Nicola Marsh
Edited byJason Zeldes
Kevin Klauber
Doug Blush
Music byVarious Artists
Production
companies
Tremolo Productions
Gil Friesen Productions
Distributed byRADiUS-TWC
Release dates
  • January 17, 2013 (2013-01-17) (Sundance)
  • June 14, 2013 (2013-06-14) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million
Box office$5.8 million[2]

20 Feet from Stardom is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville[3] and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the making of the film.[4]

The film follows the behind-the-scenes experiences of backup singers and stars Darlene Love, Judith Hill, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, and Jo Lawry, among many others. On March 2, 2014, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards, 23 years after the similar documentary In the Shadow of the Stars (which focused on the members of an opera chorus instead of its stars) won the same award.

Lisa Fischer said of backup singing: "I reject the notion that the job you excel at is somehow not enough to aspire to, that there has to be something more. I love supporting other artists." She added: "Some people will do anything to be famous. I just wanted to sing."[5]

Cast[]


Archival footage

Release[]

On January 17, 2013, the film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. At Sundance, the film was acquired by Radius-The Weinstein Company and was released nationwide on June 14, 2013.[6] The film was also acquired for international distribution by Elle Driver / Wild Bunch.[7] The film was screened at many film festivals in 2013 including, South by Southwest Film Festival, True/False Film Festival, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Philadelphia Music Film Festival, RiverRun Film Festival, San Francisco Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Montclair Film Festival, among others.[8][9][10][11]

Reception[]

Box office[]

The film was a box office success, grossing $4,946,445 in the domestic box office and $898,560 internationally for a worldwide total of $5,845,005.[2]

Critical reception[]

20 Feet from Stardom received critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 99% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10 based on 128 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads "Rich, insightful, and occasionally heartbreaking, 20 Feet From Stardom is an energetic tribute to the passion, talent, and hard work of backup singers."[12] Metacritic gave the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

The Ithaca Times compared the film to the 2012 book The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret, which focused on uncredited studio musicians during the same era.[14]

Accolades[]

At the 86th Academy Awards, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[15] At the 19th Critics' Choice Awards, it also won the Best Documentary Film award.[16] At the 2015 Grammy Awards, it won Best Music Film.

Accolades
Award / Film Festival Category Recipient(s) Result
86th Academy Awards[17] Best Documentary Feature 20 Feet from Stardom – Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen, Michael K. Ross Caitrin Rogers Won
AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards[18] Best Documentary 20 Feet from Stardom Won
ACE Awards Best Edited Documentary – Feature 20 Feet from Stardom – Douglas Blush, Kevin Klauber, and Jason Zeldes Won
Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival Music Documentary Audience Award 20 Feet from Stardom Won
2014 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Documentary 20 Feet from Stardom Won
Outstanding Original Song "Desperation" – Judith Hill Won
2013 Chicago Film Critics Association[19] Best Documentary Film 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
19th Critics' Choice Awards[16] Best Documentary Film 20 Feet from Stardom Won
2013 Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards[20] Best Documentary Film 20 Feet from Stardom Won
2013 Denver Film Critics Society Awards Best Documentary Film 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing - Documentary Feature Film 20 Feet from Stardom – Al Nelson, Kim Foscato, and Pete Horner Nominated
57th Grammy Awards Best Music Film 20 Feet from Stardom – Morgan Neville (director), Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, and Judith Hill Won
2013 Houston Film Critics Society Awards[21] Best Documentary Feature 20 Feet from Stardom Won
29th Independent Spirit Awards[22] Best Documentary Feature 20 Feet from Stardom – Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers Won
Iowa Film Critics Best Documentary 20 Feet from Stardom Won
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Documentary – Theatrical 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
2013 National Board of Review Awards Best Documentary 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
2013 New York Film Critics Circle Awards[23] Best Non-Fiction Film 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
2013 St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards Best Documentary 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
2013 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Best Documentary Film 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
18th Satellite Awards Best Documentary Film 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated
2013 Seattle International Film Festival Best Documentary 20 Feet from Stardom Won
2013 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards[24] Best Documentary 20 Feet from Stardom Nominated

References[]

  1. ^ "20 FEET FROM STARDOM (12A)". Altitude Film Distribution. British Board of Film Classification. January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "20 Feet from Stardom". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  3. ^ Caplan, B. (March 13, 2013). "Twenty Feet From Stardom Director Morgan Neville on His Own 'Cinderella Moment'". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  4. ^ Van Syckle, Katie (January 28, 2013). "Backup Singer Documentary 'Twenty Feet From Stardom' Set for Summer Release". Rolling Stone.
  5. ^ Barnes, Brooks (June 7, 2013). "The Voice Behind Mick (and Others)". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Lee, Stephan. "MOVIE PREVIEW Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  7. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. "Elle Driver Buys Foreign On 'Twenty Feet From Stardom'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  8. ^ "20 Feet from Stardom". Metacritic. June 14, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  9. ^ Lowe, Justin (January 18, 2013). "Twenty Feet From Stardom". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  10. ^ 20 Feet from Stardom at IMDb
  11. ^ Debruge, Peter (January 18, 2013). "Twenty Feet from Stardom". Variety. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  12. ^ "20 Feet From Stardom (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  13. ^ "20 Feet from Stardom Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  14. ^ VanCampen, Bryan (January 30, 2014). "Review: 20 Feet From Stardom". Ithaca Times.
  15. ^ "Oscars 2014: live". The Daily Telegraph. March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  16. ^ a b "Gravity tops Critics' Choice Movie Awards with seven wins". The Guardian. March 17, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  17. ^ "Oscars 2014 Winners: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  18. ^ "AARP Names '12 Years a Slave' Best Movie for Grownups". AFI. January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  19. ^ "'12 Years A Slave' Wins Five Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Including Best Picture". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  20. ^ Jones, Arnold Wayne (December 16, 2013). "DFW Film Critics reward 'Buyers Club,' '12 Years,' 'Blue Is the Warmest Color'". Dallas Voice. Dallas, TX. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  21. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (December 15, 2013). "2013 Houston Film Critics Society winners". HitFix.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  22. ^ Film Independent Spirit Awards 2014 winners list: Jared Leto, 'Fruitvale Station' and more
  23. ^ "'New York Film Critics Circle 2013 Winners". indieWire. December 3, 2013. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  24. ^ "The 2013 WAFCA Awards". wafca.com. Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. December 7, 2013. Retrieved March 3, 2014.

External links[]

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