# American Symphony (film)

American Symphony is a 2023 American biographical documentary film, written, shot, and edited by Matthew Heineman. It explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, his music career, and his wife's struggle with leukemia.
It had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released by Netflix on November 29. The film received a Best Original Song nomination, for "It Never Went Away", at the 96th Academy Awards.

## Premise

Explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, chronicling his career in music (including his 11 nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards) and the struggles his wife, Suleika Jaouad, faces with leukemia.

## Release

American Symphony had its world premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023. Shortly after, Netflix and Higher Ground Productions acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on November 29, 2023.

## Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "More than a standard musician's documentary, American Symphony uses its behind-the-scenes access to present a portrait of courage and creativity." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | March 10, 2024 | Best Original Song | Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 3, 2024 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Won | |
| American Cinema Editors | March 3, 2024 | Best Edited Documentary (Theatrical) | Sammy Dane, Matthew Heineman, Jim Hession, and Fernando Villegas | Nominated | |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | January 6, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Black Film Critics Circle | December 20, 2023 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | January 16, 2024 | Outstanding Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | January 16, 2024 | Outstanding Score | Jon Batiste | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | January 16, 2024 | Outstanding Original Song | Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") | Nominated | |
| Capri Hollywood International Film Festival | January 2, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Won | [13] [14] |
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | March 2, 2024 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Picture – Documentary | Tom Paul, Tristan Baylis, and Ryan Collison | Nominated | |
| Cinema Eye Honors | January 12, 2024 | Outstanding Production | Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman, and Joedan Okun | Nominated | |
| Cinema Eye Honors | January 12, 2024 | Outstanding Original Score | Jon Batiste | Nominated | |
| Cinema Eye Honors | January 12, 2024 | Audience Choice Prize | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Cinema Eye Honors | January 12, 2024 | The Unforgettables | Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 12, 2023 | Best Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 12, 2023 | Best Music Documentary | American Symphony | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 12, 2023 | Best Director | Matthew Heineman | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 12, 2023 | Best Score | Jon Batiste | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 12, 2023 | Best Cinematography | Tony Hardmon, Matthew Heineman, and Thorsten Thielow | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 12, 2023 | Best Editing | Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Matthew Heineman, and Fernando Villegas | Nominated | |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Documentary Film | American Symphony | Won | |
| Denver Film Critics Society | January 12, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Golden Reel Awards | March 3, 2024 | Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Documentary | Ignacio Bonet | Nominated | |
| Golden Reel Awards | March 3, 2024 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary | Tristan Baylis, Tom Paul, Leslie Bloome, Matt Snedecor, and Mark Filip | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | February 2, 2025 | Best Music Film | Jon Batiste, Matthew Heineman, Lauren Domino, and Joedan Okun | Won | |
| Grammy Awards | February 2, 2025 | Best Song Written for Visual Media | Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") | Won | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 22, 2024 | Best Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Nominated | [22] [23] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Nominated | [24] [25] |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | December 13, 2023 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Middleburg Film Festival | October 22, 2023 | Documentary Spotlight Award | Matthew Heineman | Won | |
| Montclair Film Festival | October 30, 2023 | Audience Award – Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Won | |
| Montclair Film Festival | October 30, 2023 | Documentary Filmmaker Award | Matthew Heineman | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 16, 2024 | Outstanding Documentary (Film) | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| North Texas Film Critics Association | December 18, 2023 | Best Documentary Film | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Oklahoma Film Critics Circle | January 3, 2024 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Won | |
| Philadelphia Film Festival | October 29, 2023 | Audience Award – Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Won | |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | February 25, 2024 | Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures | American Symphony | Won | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 19, 2023 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards | January 9, 2024 | Best Documentary Film | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | March 3, 2024 | Best Motion Picture – Documentary | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | March 3, 2024 | Best Original Song | Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | March 3, 2024 | Best Sound (Editing and Mixing) | Tristan Baylis, Matt Snedecor, and William Tzouris | Nominated | |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists | February 13, 2024 | Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film | Jon Batiste | Nominated | |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists | February 13, 2024 | Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production | Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") | Nominated | |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2023 | Best Documentary Film | American Symphony | Won | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | February 12, 2024 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Virginia Film Festival | October 29, 2023 | Audience Award – Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Won | |
| Virginia Film Festival | October 29, 2023 | Directorial Achievement Award | Matthew Heineman | Won | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Documentary | American Symphony | Nominated | |
| Woodstock Film Festival | September 30, 2023 | Audience Award – Best Documentary Feature | American Symphony | Won | |
| World Soundtrack Awards | October 17, 2024 | Best Original Song | Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson ("It Never Went Away") | Nominated | |