Singers hold an important place in the hearts and minds of their fans. For this reason, movie companies have been making documentaries on some of the most popular singers to grace the stage. Below are some of the best documentaries about female singers from recent decades.
Gaga: Five Foot Two
This documentary, produced by Heather Parry, is about the life of Lady Gaga (Stephanie Germanotta). This documentary not only covers Gaga’s music career but also her acting career and family life as well. Gaga herself stars in this documentary. Other musicians, such as Tony Bennett and Florence Welch also play a part.
The film was originally released as a Netflix original in 2017. It received more positive feedback than negative. The film was nominated for six awards total, winning four of them, including the MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Music Documentary, the NME Award for Best Music Film, and the Webby Award for both Online Film & Video: Best Music – People’s Choice.
Amy Winehouse: Back to Black
This documentary, directed by Jeremy Marre, is about the making of the album Back to Black, which was released in 2006. The documentary uses archive footage, interviews, and recorded performances to tell Winehouse’s story. As Amy Winehouse died in 2011, and the documentary came out in 2018, all the footage had to be taking from archived videos. This film was nominated for a BAFTA Award but did not win.
What Happened, Miss Simone?
This documentary, directed by Liz Garbus, is another film much like Amy Winehouse: Back to Black, in the notion that the film needed to use archive footage, as Nina Simone died in 2003. Her story is much different than Winehouse and Gaga, as she performed throughout several decades of the 1900s and struggled with working as a black woman in the music industry.
This movie was released as a Netflix original in 2015. It was nominated for 20 awards, including an Oscar, and won six of them, including an Emmy.
Check out these documentaries to learn more about the lives and careers of these wonderful singers!
