EXCLUSIVE: Celine Dion looks set to perform at the opening ceremony of Olympic Games in Paris on Friday, in a joint appearance with Lady Gaga. But that’s not the only big news to report about the French-Canadian chanteuse.
I Am: Celine Dion, the film that chronicles the singer’s extraordinary career and her recent health struggles, has become Prime Video’s most popular documentary ever. It has also impacted her music sales: Since the documentary’s release on June 25, “Dion’s catalog streams are up +33% worldwide,” Amazon MGM Studios tells us.
The documentary directed by Irene Taylor shows how Dion rose to fame in her native Québec, releasing her first album at age 13. She went on to sell upwards of 250 million records, win six Grammys, perform at the Academy Awards, and record the Oscar-winning love theme from Titanic, “My Heart Will Go On.” In the film, Dion speaks candidly about her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome, an extremely rare neurological disorder that first manifested 17 years ago. The condition at times has made it impossible for her to sing; at one point in the documentary, she cries after trying to vocalize with her accustomed sonic brilliance. She tells the director in tears, “It’s very difficult for me to hear this, and to show this to you.”
Celine Dion and director Irene Taylor attend a special screening of ‘I Am: Celine Dion’ in New York on June 17, 2024.
Roy Rochlin/WireImage
“This film was born out of extraordinary trust,” Taylor said in a statement provided exclusively to Deadline. “Celine let me in at a time when most would push away. The world’s response is a testament to authenticity and non-fiction storytelling, and Amazon’s deep commitment to make Celine’s voice heard once again.”
Prime Video did not release data on minutes viewed for I Am: Celine Dion. Among the platform’s most popular documentaries are Bye Bye Barry, about NFL Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders; Kelce, about Jason Kelce’s final season with the Philadelphia Eagles, and The Blue Angels, a film about the U.S. Navy’s elite flight demonstration squadron.
‘I Am: Celine Dion’
Amazon MGM Studios
I Am: Celine Dion, from Amazon MGM Studios, was directed and produced by Irene Taylor, with Stacy Lorts and Julie Begey Seureau producing for Vermilion Films and Tom Mackay for Sony Music Vision. Dave Platel and Denis Savage served as executive producers for Les Productions Feeling alongside Shane Carter for Sony Music Entertainment Canada and Krista Wegener for Sony Music Vision. The sale was negotiated by Sony Music Vision.
“Irene Taylor and the talented teams at Vermilion Films, Les Productions, and Sony Music beautifully captured the deeply present-tense story of Celine Dion in a truly remarkable way,” said Brianna Oh, head of documentary features at Amazon MGM Studios. “We’re honored to have been trusted with sharing this incredible documentary and could not be more thrilled with the enthusiastic response from Celine Dion fans and Prime Video audiences around the world.”
Celine Dion is seen leaving a hotel in Paris on July 23, 2024 in Paris.
MEGA/GC Images
Dion’s performance on Friday, her first in four years, will see her join Lady Gaga in singing a rendition of Édith Piaf’s classic “La Vie en Rose,” to help kick off the Summer Games. The opening ceremony will unfold on the river Seine in the City of Lights.
Deadline’s Melanie Goodfellow wrote Wednesday, “French radio station RTL reported [Celine Dion] had landed in a private jet at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of Paris on Monday evening and was due to spend Tuesday afternoon at a fitting at the Dior fashion house. The reports followed sightings of Lady Gaga on Monday, including social media images showing her standing by a piano on floating platform on the Seine.”