''American Harmony'' is a 2009

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

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 r ...

. ''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 barbersho ...

’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, 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 ), the ...

– 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 is an independent film festival held in San Diego, California, produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in autumn at venues in the Gaslamp Q ...

. * 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, Film ...

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) is held annually in March in Boulder, Colorado. BIFF features films by new and emerging filmmakers, as well as industry directors, writers, producers, and actors. There are 25,000 attendances annual ...

- 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. History In 2023, the festival was listed on ''MovieMakers "20 Great Film Festivals in Vacation Destinat ...

- 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