The World Premiere of a brand new feature-length documentary film about the life and music of composer John Williams will take place on 23 October at the American Film Institute’s (AFI) 38th ‘AFI Fest’.
Produced by long-time Williams friend and collaborator Steven Spielberg, Music by John Williams is directed by Laurent Bouzereau, an esteemed documentarian who has charted the making of many a Steven Spielberg film over the years and authored the recent book, Spielberg: The First Ten Years.
From Williams’s early days in jazz through his work as a session musician in Hollywood and the monumental 54 Oscar nominations he has so far achieved – indeed he broke his own record for Oscar nominations just this year, Bouzereau’s film is an intimate portrait of an artist with a global reputation, whose music is now firmly imprinted on popular culture.
John Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest film composers of all time, having composed the music for some of the most popular movies in history, from Star Wars and Jaws to Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter.
The five-time Oscar-winning composer is also revered for his concert works, with a growing catalogue of concertos and other ceremonial works – including a handful of anthems for the Olympic Games, under his belt.
Williams spoke to BBC Music Magazine in late 2020 after receiving the RPS Gold Medal and reflected on his career and a recent visit to Vienna where he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic.
Since then he has enjoyed conducting engagements with the Berlin Philharmonic in Germany and the Saito Kinen Orchestra in Japan.
The composer, who is 92, has recently pulled out of concert appearances at Tanglewood, the Hollywood Bowl and Vienna’s Musikverein due to an undisclosed health issue that fans are assured he is to make a full recovery from.
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 Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Meredith Kaulfers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Laurent Bouzereau, with Markus Keith and Michael Rosenberg serving as executive producers.
Following its AFI premiere, audiences will be able to see Music by John Williams for themselves when it is released on 1 November via the Disney+ streaming platform.