Project Detail

The American Epic Sessions

Synopsis

This film is a haunting collision of past and present, presided over by the high priests of the great tradition of American music, Jack White and T Bone Burnett, who also executive produced with Robert Redford. Long before digital file sharing, MP3, compact discs, tape and vinyl, a machine was forged from ingenuity. The Western Electric lathe, a marvel of analogue engineering operated by a weight and pulleys, pioneered the recording of American music. In an old Hollywood studio, one has been lovingly reassembled. In it, White gathers an extraordinary convocation of musical superstars, all keen to cut a record in the unforgiving three minutes the Western Electric provides. Featuring live performances from Elton John, Nas, Willie Nelson, Alabama Shakes, Steve Martin, Ana Gabriel, Merle Haggard, Taj Mahal and many more. (LFF brochure)
BFI London Film Festival 2015 - World premiere

Details

Year
2015
Type of project
Features
Running time
140 mins
Director
Bernard MacMahon
Producer
Duke Erikson, Bill Holderman, Bernard MacMahon, Allison McGourty, Anthony Wall
Screenwriter
Duke Erikson, Bernard MacMahon, Allison McGourty

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

UK, US coproduction

Lo-Max Films (UK), BBC Arena (UK), Wildwood Enterprises (US), Thirteen for WNET (US)

Sales Company

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Becoming Led Zeppelin Becoming Led Zeppelin

Director: Bernard MacMahon

Year: 2021

Tracing the journey of the four members of Led Zeppelin, the 'Stairway To Heaven' rockers, through the music scene of the 1960s to their meeting in the summer of 1968. Culminating in 1970 when Led Zeppelin II's 'Whole Lotta Love' knocked The Beatles off the top of the charts and launched what would become the biggest band in the world. Featuring new interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with the late drummer John Bonham, and previously unseen archive imagery, state of the art audio transfers of the band’s music, and music that influenced the band’s sound. Official Selection Venice Film Festival 2021 - Out of Competition - World premiere

American Epic American Epic

Director: Bernard MacMahon

Year: 2016

Take a journey across time to the birth of modern music, when the musical strands of a diverse nation were first combined, thereby sparking a cultural revolution that forever transformed the future of music and the world. The event will include clips of the film, an extended conversation with the creators including executive producers Robert Redford, T Bone Burnett and Jack White, and live performances featuring The Avett Brothers and other special music guests. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2016 - Special Events

A meditating Buddhist Nun at Bodhgaya Temple Tracing Transcendental Tone

Director: Julian Konczak

Year: 2025

Following a pilgrimage through the sacred sounds of India – a land of many faiths, including Vedanta, Islam and Buddhism. Using striking visual material accompanied by an evocative, multi-layered soundtrack, the audience is taken on a unique sonic journey through the sacred sound practices of many of the world’s key religions. A combination of interviews, performances, and natural sounds creates a rich, immersive cinematic experience. With an intimate, direct camera style, viewers can get close to the many spiritual practitioners, musicians, and meditation teachers who form the fabric of the journey. Bubbling hot springs, subtropical nocturnal symphonies of insects, and harsh, frozen mountain winds combine with mantra chanting, classical Hindustani music, and the dynamic temple sounds of drums and trumpets. This audiovisual tone poem invites you to experience heightened sensory awareness and the transformative, healing power of sound.