February 2013 seems to be the month Beyoncé will be coming back into the performance realm. She is the headlining performer during the Super Bowl halftime show on February 3rd, and now will be the focus of an intimate feature-length HBO documentary film later that month. Michael Lombardo, HBO President of Programming, announced it in a statement. Directed by the Beyoncé herself, the film is “a fusion of video that provides raw, unprecedented access to the private entertainment icon and high-voltage performances.” Beyoncé is world-renowned for her music but as a person, not many know her. The film will change this. “Along with electrifying footage of Beyoncé onstage, this unique special looks beyond the glamour to reveal a vibrant, vulnerable, unforgettable woman,” said Lombardo.
From a November 26th press release from HBO:
The film is a multi-faceted portrait of the 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer, businesswoman, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, wife and mother, showing off the extraordinary gifts that have made her a global phenomenon, and stripping away the veneer of stardom. It includes extensive first-person footage, some of it shot by Beyoncé on her laptop, in which she reflects on the realities of celebrity, the refuge she finds onstage and the transcendent joy of becoming a mother last year.
The film sheds light on her childhood in Houston, with home movies revealing the close bond she built with her family and charts the challenges Beyoncé felt when she decided to manage her career and build her own company, Parkwood Entertainment. It also captures the intense physical and emotional demands she goes through in the studio, preparing for live performances, running a business and her family life, including her return to the spotlight after the birth of her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, in January 2012. Beyoncé also serves as the film’s executive producer.
“HBO has a history of pushing every boundary with class and authenticity,” said Beyoncé in a statement. “Some of my favorite shows are on HBO, so I am excited that my film will be part of its bold programming. This film was so personal to me, it had to have the right home.”
With her pervious documentary releases, including her “I Am World Tour” in 2010 and “Year of 4” in 2011, following the release of her album 4, we’ve gotten pieces of Beyoncé as a person but who doesn’t want more? No trailers have been released but I am looking forward to seeing another look into Beyoncé’s life. The film is scheduled to debut on February 16th, 2013.
