Project Detail

The Greatest Night in Pop

Synopsis

On January 28, 1985, dozens of the biggest names in music convened at a studio in Los Angeles, checked their egos at the door and recorded a song to benefit African famine relief that would alter global pop culture history. The Greatest Night in Pop chronicles the massive undertaking to assemble the world’s most impressive supergroup in a world before cell phones and email. That group of artists — led by the song’s co-writers and two of the most significant musicians of the 20th century — Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie — came from different worlds but united to record “We Are the World.” Featuring never-before-seen footage, the film details the early planning stages, including the writing sessions with Richie and Jackson, and goes inside the famed Henson Studios where “We Are the World” was recorded. Many of the artists who were there that legendary evening -- Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis -- reminisce alongside musicians, engineers, and production crew about one of the most storied nights in music history.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2024 - Special Screenings - World premiere

Details

Year: 2024
Type of project: Features
Director: Bao Nguyen
Producer: Julia Nottingham, Lionel Richie, Bruce Eskowitz, Larry Kelin, Harriet Sternberg, George Hencken
Co-Producer: Terry Leonard, Kent Kubena
Executive Producer: Amit Dey, Angus Wall, Becky Read, Paul Brownstein
Editor: Nic Zimmerman, Will Znidaric, David Brodie
Director of Photography: Caleb Heller
Production Designer: Hanrui Wang
Composer: Goh Nakamura, Darren Morze
Archive Producer: Lina Caicedo, Jackie Clary, Melissa Jacobson
Music Supervisor: Gary Welch
Production Partners: Republic Pictures, MRC, MakeMakeEntertainment

Genre

Music Dance

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

UK, US co-production

Dorothy Street Pictures

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Sales Company

Distributor: Netflix

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On January 28th 1985, the stage was set for the annual American Music Awards. Some of the biggest names in pop – Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie and Tina Turner - were gathered in Hollywood for the most prestigious night in the music calendar. When the awards show ended, the artists reconvened at a top-secret recording studio, to sing what would become the legendary global pop song ‘We Are The World,’ in aid of poverty relief in Africa. Over the next twelve hours, egos were tested, tempers frayed, and pressure mounted, as 46 superstars raced against the clock to pull off the most audacious feat in recording history. Told through incredible behind-the-scenes archive and interviews with music royalty, this is the extraordinary story of the greatest night in pop…

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