"I Am: Celine Dion" documentary - Official Topic

[rfkavanagh]

Also - just to stir the pot a bit - I still think the documentary is actually the ideal place for Play Me Like A Love Song to be used! From what we've heard, it's too dramatic and sweeping for a light-as-air rom-com, but it could tie in nicely to a documentary about Céline's life, motivations, and - perish the thought - an appropriate sign-off should the documentary end on a note other than her triumphant return to her career.

 

Or, you know, it could end up The Collector's Series, Volume Two...

[No1IrishFan]

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I'm so excited about the docu.

 

Have they actually said it’s still in the works though?

 

That tweet could be just a reminder that it was announced in 2021 and because we haven’t heard different, it’s still happening. Could be zero update but they’re assuming it’s still happening.

[scielle]

 

Have they actually said it’s still in the works though?

 

That tweet could be just a reminder that it was announced in 2021 and because we haven’t heard different, it’s still happening. Could be zero update but they’re assuming it’s still happening.

 

It’s just a fan account, stating what’s public knowledge.

 

And I see no reason to suspect otherwise. Irene’s company was hiring an associate producer for it, about a year ago at this point if I recall correctly. Posting at the time said production is expected to take about a year. Presumably they were planning to follow the tour and new LV show opening, but of course we know what happened since. If anything, it has suddenly become a significantly more compelling project, so I hope they take the time needed to tell the story properly.

 

 

Edited April 15, 2023 at 11:00 PM by scielle

[smw]

 

 

It’s just a fan account, stating what’s public knowledge.

 

And I see no reason to suspect otherwise. Irene’s company was hiring an associate producer for it, about a year ago at this point if I recall correctly. Posting at the time said production is expected to take about a year. Presumably they were planning to follow the tour and new LV show opening, but of course we know what happened since. If anything, it has suddenly become a significantly more compelling project, so I hope they take the time needed to tell the story properly.

 

Exactly. If gone about correctly, it could be a phenomenal documentary. Where they not only cover Celine’s huge impact on the entertainment industry — but also her personal hardships losing Rene and now her diagnosis.

 

The Linda Ronstadt documentary & Brooke Shields documentaries were both so well done.

[PuraVida]

Would be interesting to see how they weave her current battles in with a retrospective about her career. You would almost think there's enough material for a standalone documentary on her current health struggles and the last 7 years of her life.

[CelinesDIVO5]

It would be very brave though, if Céline allowed the camera's in during her whole battle in the hospital...

 

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I agree. However, it would certainly add more stress which is a huge problem for her syndrome. She really just needed to completely unplug and be super present for her health.

[mirage]

Would have loved to see all the bts of this!

 

Presumably they were planning to follow the tour and new LV show opening, but of course we know what happened since.

[comingback]

It would be very brave though, if Céline allowed the camera's in during her whole battle in the hospital...

 

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Yes, it would be very brave, if Celine allowed cameras in the hospital.

But that reminds me of a docu of Anastacia, who allowed them during her treatments in the hospital when she had breast cancer.

 

[comingback]

. Edited April 16, 2023 at 08:51 AM by comingback

[comingback]

[scielle]

Meanwhile, Irene's next doc, for HBO, is about... trees: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ehwBxwzvYDsJ:https://filmfreeway.com/TheEntangled&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

Trees (And Other Entanglements): The entangled lives of people and trees take root and grow into a contemporary tale of time, our connection to the natural world and to one another.

Edited April 20, 2023 at 01:38 AM by scielle

[scielle]

So I recently got around to finally watching CODA (and the French original it was based on, La Famille Bélier). Both made me cry...

 

Anyway, reading up about it I ended up here: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/21-films-books-shows-experiences-of-disability

(Vogue, 21 of the Best Films, Books, and Shows Spotlighting Experiences of Disability)

 

One of Irene's films is on the list - Hear and Now. And it made me think, what a crazy instance of foreshadowing, for Sony to pick her to direct the Celine doc. She really seems perfectly positioned to do this now, given what happened since the project was announced (assuming, of course, that it's still happening).

 

She has made several films (incl. shorts) about living with disabilities: Hear and Now (about her parents getting cochlear implants late in life), Moonlight Sonata (about her deaf son getting same implants as a child), The Final Inch (about the effort to eradicate polio; Oscar-nominated short), and Open Your Eyes (about people in the Himalayas living with cataracts and the effort to restore their sight).

 

And with the caveat that it is still happening, I wonder to what degree Celine would let her document what she's currently going through.

[A new day...]

Allowing cameras around her all the time while she needs to focus on her treatment would indeed be very brave, but I'm not sure I could handle it!

 

It would definitely raise awareness about this rare condition though.

Edited May 16, 2023 at 12:17 PM by A new day...

[scielle]

Allowing cameras around her all the time while she needs to focus on her treatment would indeed be very brave, but I'm not sure I could handle it!

 

It would definitely raise awareness about this rare condition though.

 

Absolutely, but it's not necessarily cameras and a film crew. When making the films about her own family, she would just whip out an iPhone sometimes and a lot of those moments ended up in the film. It could really be just Celine's family/ whoever is currently around her, and their phones. Anything more would probably be too much of a distraction, since Celine clearly wants to just focus on getting better.

[smw]

I think there’s the potential for a very moving and spectacular documentary made about Celine. I hope it will be at the caliber of the new Michael J Fox documentary.

 

There’s a lot of fascination in Celine beyond her music and achievements. From the loss she’s endured… knowing that Rene was one half of “Celine Dion” the brand… and she lost not only her husband but one half of her professional life. And now her incredibly rare illness that impacts the body and VOICE of one of the most legendary singers of all time.

 

Edited May 16, 2023 at 06:18 PM by smw

[nuts2you]

when do we expect this to come out, This yr or next

[Nmj]

when do we expect this to come out, This yr or next

 

We don’t even know if it’s still being made?! We haven’t heard anything since the presser.

 

If SPS wasn’t any issue, ideally the way other artists have done is to release this kind of project at a time of either a new album, a big tour, in her case maybe a new Las Vegas residency…. At this rate tho, nothing is certain in any aspect.

[PuraVida]

We don’t even know if it’s still being made?! We haven’t heard anything since the presser.

 

If SPS wasn’t any issue, ideally the way other artists have done is to release this kind of project at a time of either a new album, a big tour, in her case maybe a new Las Vegas residency…. At this rate tho, nothing is certain in any aspect.

 

They could shift the focus and make it about her diagnosis, fight to recover, and (god willing) her comeback to performing.

 

That's if there is enough budget and Celine wants to incorporate that material and go that direction. In terms of story and cinema, it could add so much depth to the project.

[scielle]

Who knows if this is still on - presumably postponed indefinitely - but for what it’s worth, Irene’s newest doc for HBO premieres at Telluride in Colorado today: https://instagram.com/stories/directorirenetaylor/3112058131512810498?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[PuraVida]

They announced the documentary around 3 weeks before Celine postponed her Resorts World premiere.

[Ukrfan]

Can someone ask Irene on instagram if it’s still planned?

[ryba]

They obiously wanted to make a huge comeback with the new Courage album along with the would tour, then the movie & new music along with opening at Resorts World and the documentary so that Celine would be everywhere again, but Covid and her health prevented everything. I think that these projects will still happen, but later when she is ready to perform again. There is no point in releasing the docu now while nothing is going on and she is recovering. The docu was supposed to promote her to make people buy tickets to her shows, same as the movie.

[Squall]

I would think if the documentary is still being made, they would want to see how her SPS treatment is going to go. They wouldn't want to end the movie with Celine at her worst point. If the treatments work and Celine can return to some kind of normal life, I think that's how they'd want to end it. Some kind of uplifting conclusion. Not a story of how the most talented performer who ever lived had a bunch of tragic death in her life and now she can't even walk... The end.

 

It could be years until the documentary comes out. If it ever does.

[CourageProject]

I wanna see the parallel world where Céline doesn't have SPS. What a world to live in, exciting projects all the way.

[Davey84]

I wanna see the parallel world where Céline doesn't have SPS. What a world to live in, exciting projects all the way.

What a very weird and reasonless post.

 

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[jolo87]

I would think if the documentary is still being made, they would want to see how her SPS treatment is going to go. They wouldn't want to end the movie with Celine at her worst point. If the treatments work and Celine can return to some kind of normal life, I think that's how they'd want to end it. Some kind of uplifting conclusion. Not a story of how the most talented performer who ever lived had a bunch of tragic death in her life and now she can't even walk... The end.

 

It could be years until the documentary comes out. If it ever does.

 

Exactly. Following Celine through treatment leading up to a return to the stage would make good sense artistically. It's hard to end this kind of documentary on an uncertain note. The time frame for this will depend entirely on Celine's recovery... it either ends with her comeback or her retirement.

Edited May 29, 2023 at 08:56 AM by jolo87

[Alex_Incognito]

That's all assuming Céline wants cameras on her during this terrible time of her life. How many of us would?

[smw]

There are so many great new documentaries these days. I hope one day Celine gets one made about her huge impact on the music industry. She deserves that recognition. Not only to be remembered as a phenonmenal voice -- but highlighting all of her massive worldwide achievements and the obstacels she's faced in her life, especially in recent years.

 

I feel like one day she's going to have a big comeback as far as how she's perceived -- people will wake up, once again, to how incredible she is and her huge legacy.

Edited July 26, 2023 at 07:18 PM by smw

[scielle]

Not an update, really, but at least they don’t say it’s off...

 

https://deadline.com/2023/08/sony-music-division-boosts-documentary-production-celine-dion-carlos-santana-films-1235457862/

 

‘The Premium Content Division’s slate of music docs includes an upcoming film on Celine Dion, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Irene Taylor (Leave No Trace). The project, announced in 2021, “will commemorate the Canadian songstress’ incredible life story and career accomplishments,” Dion’s website says, “including iconic album releases, award accolades, world tours and Las Vegas residencies.”‘

 

 

 

[Nmj]

Not an update, really, but at least they don’t say it’s off...

 

https://deadline.com/2023/08/sony-music-division-boosts-documentary-production-celine-dion-carlos-santana-films-1235457862/

 

‘The Premium Content Division’s slate of music docs includes an upcoming film on Celine Dion, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Irene Taylor (Leave No Trace). The project, announced in 2021, “will commemorate the Canadian songstress’ incredible life story and career accomplishments,” Dion’s website says, “including iconic album releases, award accolades, world tours and Las Vegas residencies.”‘

 

I don’t think this documentary can exist without it talking about her illness now. If it’s still a go, I would imagine Irenes vision has definitely morphed now.