The American Film Institute (AFI) announced that the world premiere of the documentary film Music By John Williams from Lucasfilm Ltd, Amblin Documentaries and Imagine Documentaries, a comprehensive look at the prolific life and career of legendary composer John Williams, will open the 38th edition of AFI Fesr on Wednesday, October 23.
From his early days as a jazz pianist to his 54 Oscar® nominations and five wins, the documentary celebrates Williams’ countless contributions to the moving image arts, music for the concert stage as well as his indelible impact on popular culture.
The film features interviews with Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Kate Capshaw, Gustavo Dudamel, J.J. Abrams, Chris Martin, Ron Howard, Chris Columbus, George Lucas, Itzhak Perlman, Lawrence Kasdan, Yo-Yo Ma, Ke Huy Quan, James Mangold, Alan Silvestri, David Newman, Thomas Newman, Seth MacFarlane, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Branford Marsalis, whose lives have been touched by Williams’ timeless music. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, the documentary is produced by Spielberg, Bouzereau, Howard, Kennedy, Marshall, Brian Grazer, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Meredith Kaulfers, with Markus Keith and Michael Rosenberg serving as executive producers.
“John Williams is an American icon with a true and timeless global impact,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “One could say we are ‘over the moon’ to host the World Premiere of the film, but that sentiment would hardly soar without the music of E.T. The Extra Terestrial.”
“Growing up in France, I discovered the soundtracks I bought on vinyl ahead of most American movies that would come out months after the U.S. release. John Williams was the composer I immediately identified with; his scores made me fall in love with music, and made me realize at a very young age, the power that a score had on cinematic storytelling,” said Bouzereau. “This was an important story to tell, not only because it is about one of the greatest composers of all time, but because of the message it carries about the survival of orchestral music, and musicians.”
In 2016, Williams was honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award and became the first composer to receive this highest honor for a career in film.
Following the world premiere at AFI Fest presented by Canva, Music By John Williams will have a limited theatrical release and will premiere on Disney+ on November 1.
AFI Fest will take place October 23–27 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in the heart of Hollywood and will feature a curated selection of Red Carpet Premieres, Special Screenings, World Cinema, Documentaries and Short Films. More than 100 films are expected to screen.
