20 Feet from Stardom
20 Feet from Stardom (stylized in the film's title sequence as Twenty Feet from Stardom) is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the making of the film. Using archival footage and new interviews, it details the behind-the-scenes experiences of such backup singers as Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Jo Lawry, Claudia Lennear, and Tata Vega. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards, 23 years after In the Shadow of the Stars (1991), a similar documentary that focused on the members of an opera chorus, won the same award.
| 20 Feet from Stardom | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Morgan Neville |
| Produced by | Gil Friesen Caitrin Rogers Michael Ross Steve Jacobs |
| Starring | Darlene Love Merry Clayton Lisa Fischer Judith Hill Jo Lawry Claudia Lennear Tata Vega |
| Cinematography | Nicola Marsh Graham Willoughby |
| Edited by | Kevin Klauber Jason Zeldes |
| Music by | Various Artists |
Production companies | Tremolo Productions Gil Friesen Productions |
| Distributed by | RADiUS-TWC |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
| Box office | $5.8 million |
Lisa Fischer has said of backup singing: "I reject the notion that the job you excel at is somehow not enough to aspire to, that there has to be something more. I love supporting other artists." She added: "Some people will do anything to be famous. I just wanted to sing."
In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It is the eighth film designated in its first year of eligibility, as well as the second most recently released film in the Registry.