Global superstar Celine Dion is getting the feature documentary treatment.
The French Canadian singer has given her blessing to a new feature documentary from Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division, in partnership with SME Canada and Vermilion Films. The as-yet-untitled feature will be directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Irene Taylor (“Beware the Slenderman,” “Hear and Now”), and promotional materials claim it will “serve as the definitive feature” on the star.
Made with Dion’s full participation and support, the film will tell her life story and career accomplishments, including iconic album releases, award accolades, world tours and Las Vegas residencies.
News of the doc comes just a day after “Aline,” a feature biopic loosely based on Dion’s life, found a home in the U.S. with Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films, after selling out globally for French sales company Gaumont.
Taylor most recently directed the Emmy-nominated documentary “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements.” Her debut feature film, “Hear and Now,” won a Peabody Award and the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. She was also Oscar-nominated for “The Final Inch,” which also garnered multiple Emmy nominations and the International documentary Association’s Pare Lorentz Award.
“I’ve always been an open book with my fans, and with her sensitivity and thoughtful creativity I think that Irene will be able to show everyone a part of me that they haven’t seen before … I know she’ll tell my story in the most honest and heartfelt way,” said Dion.
Taylor added: “Going on this journey with a legendary artist such as Celine Dion is an extraordinary opportunity for me as a filmmaker. Having access to examine her life and inimitable career, will allow me to create a multifaceted portrait of an iconic, global superstar, which I look forward to sharing with the world.”
Since starting out as a singer in Quebec at 14, Dion has sold more than 250 million albums during her 40-year career. She has won five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, the 2016 Billboard Music Award lifetime achievement Icon Award, and recognition from the 2004 World Music Awards as the best-selling female artist of all time.
Later this year, Dion will return to Las Vegas with a new show at Resorts World. Meanwhile, her Courage world tour, which was cut short in 2020 due to the pandemic, will resume across North America and Europe in spring and summer of 2022.
“Celine Dion is one of the most sought-after recording artists of all time. We are honored to collaborate with her to produce this much-anticipated documentary,” said Tom Mackay, president of Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content arm. “Led by Irene Taylor’s incredible artistic vision, we look forward to celebrating Dion’s life achievements and crafting a distribution strategy to reach her fans around the globe.”
Sony Music Entertainment is financing and distributing the film. Krista Wegener, senior vice president of sales and distribution for Premium Content at Sony Music Entertainment, will lead global sales for the film.
