If you’ve ever seen a Bob Dylan or ’60s folk doc or Martin Scorsese’s “No Direction Home,” you’ll know that Joan Baez has a complicated relationship with fame and Dylan. In many ways, she seemed disappointed that Dylan left the socio-political movement they started in the 1960s with their folk protest songs, and on another level, she may still seem peeved that Dylan soaked up the spotlight, leaving her and many others from that scene off in the dust (the way their romantic relationship ended, poorly, probably didn’t help).
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You might even say that Baez, while still regarded as something of a living legend, still never got her flowers and her proper due. That’s likely changing with the upcoming documentary “Joan Baez I Am A Noise” by filmmakers Karen O’Connor, Miri Navasky, and Maeve O’Boyle.
The film was part of the official selection of the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year and then also the SXSW Festival in March. Now, it’s coming stateside on October 6 via Magnolia Pictures.
Here’s the official synopsis, but either way, expect something unconventional from the sounds of it.
Neither a conventional biopic nor a traditional concert film, JOAN BAEZ I AM A NOISE is a raw and intimate portrait of the legendary folk singer and activist that shifts back and forth through time as it follows Joan on her final tour and delves into her extraordinary archive, including newly discovered home movies, diaries, artwork, therapy tapes, and audio recordings. Baez is remarkably revealing about her life on and off stage – from her lifelong emotional struggles to her civil rights work with MLK and a heartbreaking romance with a young Bob Dylan. A searingly honest look at a living legend, this film is a compelling and deeply personal exploration of an iconic artist who has never told the full truth of her life as she experienced it until now.
Executive producers on the project include Greg Sarris, Patti Smith, Josh Braun, Ben Braun, and Terry Press, with cinematography by Wolfgang Held, Ben McCoy, and Tim Grucza.“Joan Baez I Am A Noise” opens October 6 via Magnolia. Watch the first trailer below.