2020 Sundance Docs in Focus: MISS AMERICANA

MISS AMERICANA
Lana Wilson presents a revealing look at acclaimed pop star Taylor Swift.

Festival Section:
Documentary Premieres

Sundance Program Description:

Taylor Swift is a global icon who repeatedly tops the charts, fills stadium tours with rapturous fans, and continues to challenge herself both professionally and personally while remaining steadfast in her vision as an artist. Few have achieved as much as Swift, or have had their personal lives open to such public scrutiny, but in MISS AMERICANA, she finds herself at a watershed moment in her career, using her platform not only as a singer-songwriter, but as a woman fearlessly harnessing the full power of her voice.

Director Lana Wilson (AFTER TILLER, 2013 Sundance Film Festival) offers a multifaceted window into Swift, her creative process, and her singular experience of being one of the brightest lights on the world’s global stage. Showcasing Swift’s trademark vulnerability and her fierce intelligence and wit, Wilson captures moments both tender and exhilarating as the superstar embarks on the latest chapter of her already extraordinary career.

Some Background:

Director:

• Lana Wilson
  Past Sundance docs:
  AFTER TILLER

  Wilson is an Emmy-winning filmmaker. This is her third feature, following TILLER and THE DEPARTURE.
  

Producers:

• Morgan Neville
  Past Sundance docs:
  WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? (2018, director/producer)
  ABSTRACT: THE ART OF DESIGN (2017, director/executive producer)
  CHELSEA DOES (2016)
  BEST OF ENEMIES (2015, director/producer)
  20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013, director)
  TROUBADOURS (2011, director)

  Tremolo Productions’ Neville is an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Independent Spirit award-winning filmmaker.

• Caitrin Rogers
  Past Sundance docs:
  20 FEET FROM STARDOM
  THE TILLMAN STORY (2010)

  Rogers is also an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Independent Spirit award-winner. She is EVP at Tremolo Productions.

• Christine O’Malley
  JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY (2016)
  THESE AMAZING SHADOWS (2011)
  IOUSA (2008)
  WORDPLAY (2006)

  O’Malley is a veteran nonfiction film and television producer. She produces through O’Malley Creadon productions, the company she founded with husband Patrick Creadon.
  

Editors:

• Paul Marchand
  Past Sundance docs:
  CHELSEA DOES
  GOOD HAIR (2009)
  BIG RIVER MAN (2009)

• Greg O’Toole
  Past Sundance docs:
  THE PRICE OF FREE fka KAILASH (2018)
  AFTER TILLER

• Lee Rosch
  Past Sundance docs:
  WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
  ABSTRACT: THE ART OF DESIGN
  BEST OF ENEMIES

• Jason Zeldes
  Past Sundance docs:
  RACING EXTINCTION (2015)
  ABSTRACT: THE ART OF DESIGN
  CHELSEA DOES
  20 FEET FROM STARDOM
  THE INVISIBLE WAR (2012)

• Lindsay Utz
  Past Sundance docs:
  AMERICAN FACTORY (2019)
  QUEST (2017)
  GOOD: INTERNET CENSORSHIP (2009, short, director)
  

Why You Should Watch:
Taylor Swift fans are already abuzz about this in-depth portrait of the musician. With Wilson at the helm, they can be assured that this is more than a puff piece, offering insight into the young woman’s life and creative expression. The doc will premiere as one of this year’s Day One screenings at the festival before coming to Netflix later this year.

More Info:
Website

For Sundance screening dates and times, click the film title in the first paragraph.