''American Harmony'' is a 2009

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

directed and produced by Aengus James, produced by Colin Miller, and edited by

Kate Amend Kate Amend is an American documentary film editor whose career spans more than thirty years. She is known for being a dedicated editor who finds the emotional center of each scene she works with. A member of American Cinema Editors, Amend is the ...

. ''American Harmony'', the documentary, was initially screened at the

Barbershop Harmony Society The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop ...

’s 2008 International Convention in Nashville. The film is a tribute to the human musical spirit as practiced in the barbershop genre. It was in production for more than three years and was edited by Kate Amend, the editor of two Oscar-winning documentaries. ''American Harmony'' was filmed by James and his camera crews during the Society’s 2005, 2006 and 2007 International conventions and is interspersed with footage and other graphic elements provided by the Barbershop Harmony Society.

Synopsis

''American Harmony'' provides an in-depth look at the amazingly rich subculture of a true American art form. It follows the lives of some of the biggest names to emerge from international competition in the Society’s history, as well as providing interviews with many rank-and-file members, referred to as “Joe Barbershoppers.” The film features four prominent Barbershop Society quartets:

OC Times OC Times is a male barbershop quartet affiliated with the Barbershop Harmony Society. They earned second place silver medals at the International Barbershop Quartet Contest at Denver's Pepsi Center on July 7, 2007, and won the International Quarte ...

, Max Q,

Vocal Spectrum Vocal Spectrum is a barbershop quartet from St. Charles, Missouri. In 2004, Vocal Spectrum won the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Collegiate Quartet Contest, and on July 8, 2006, they became International Champions, winning the soci ...

, and

Reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), th ...

– over a span of years, on stage and at home, in their personal quests for international recognition. "The film is a mixture of obsession, singing, zany comedy and nail-biting competition", according to writer/director, Aengus James.

Screening

The film was theatrically released in April 2009, and eventually made its way to 30 markets during 2009/2010. There is
Google pin map
showing the markets where the film had a theatrical release.

DVD release

The DVD was made available in June 2010 through Abramorama, and re-released in September 2011 through Breaking Glass Pictures.

Festivals and awards

* Winner: Best Documentary at the 2009

San Diego Film Festival The San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF) is an independent film festival in San Diego, California produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in the autumn at venues in the ...

. * Winner of the 200
Honolulu Film Festival
Silver Lei Award. * Nominated for the 2008

International Documentary Association International Documentary Association (IDA), founded in 1982, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes nonfiction filmmakers, and is dedicated to increasing public awareness for the documentary genre. Their major program areas are: Advocacy, Filmm ...

Best Music Documentary Award. * Official selection for the

Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...

- Apr 16–23, 2009. * Official selection for the

Boulder International Film Festival The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF), sponsored by the Colorado Film Society, is held annually on Presidents Day Weekend in Boulder, Colorado USA, and has developed a reputation as one of the most compelling young film festivals in the ...

- Feb 12–15, 2009. * Official selection and Second Place Audience Choice award for the

Sedona International Film Festival The Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual, eight-day film festival in Sedona, Arizona. The festival was founded in 1994. The Sedona Film Festival screens feature films, documentary films, short films, animated films, and student ...

- Feb 24 – March 1, 2009. * Official selection for the Waterfront Film Festival - June 2009. * Official selection for the

Three Rivers Film Festival The Three Rivers Film Festival is an annual film festival, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is presented by Film Pittsburgh. Founded as part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival in 1981, the first annual festival was June 4, 1982. Thirteen film ...

- Nov 6–21, 2009.

References

External links