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20 Feet from Stardom
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Wikipedia article
'20 Feet from Stardom' is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville 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.
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."
Cast
* Lou Adler
* Stevvi Alexander
* Patti Austin
* Chris Botti
* Ava Cherry
* Merry Clayton
* Sheryl Crow
* Lisa Fischer
* Susaye Greene
* Judith Hill
* Mick Jagger
* Mable John
* Gloria Jones
* David Lasley
* Jo Lawry
* Claudia Lennear
* Darlene Love
* Lynn Mabry
* Bette Midler
* Cindy Mizelle
* Janice Pendarvis
* Nicki Richards
* Bruce Springsteen
* Sting
* Rose Stone (ne Stewart)
* Tata Vega
* Martha Wash
* The Waters (Oren, Maxine and Julia Waters)
* Stevie Wonder
; Archival footage
* David Bowie
* Ray Charles
* Michael Jackson
* Elton John
* Tom Jones
* David Letterman
* Kylie Minogue
* Ike & Tina Turner
* Luther Vandross
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. The film was also acquired for international distribution by Elle Driver / Wild Bunch. 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.
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.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."Metacritic gave the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
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.
Accolades
At the 86th Academy Awards, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. At the 19th Critics' Choice Awards, it also won the Best Documentary Film award. At the 2015 Grammy Awards, it won Best Music Film.References
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