Joan Baez: I am a Noise

This terrific film looks back at the sensational career Joan Baez, with frank interviews, never seen before home movies, diary excerpts and audio recordings, and provides great insight into the life, loves and career of iconic folk singer Joan Baez.

Release Date: 2023
Directors: Miri Navasky, Maeve O’Boyle, Karen O’Connor
Country: USA
Running Time: 93mins
Rating: M
Language: English

An intimate and revealing portrait of the legendary folk singer and activist Joan Baez. The film shifts back and forth through time as it follows Joan on her final tour.

It’s always worrying when a film has three directors; you can’t help wondering if the first one got the sack. Did all three ever agree on the final cut? Did the producer really want to direct (everyone wants to direct!)? What really went on? Can a film with so many cooks actually turn out OK? The answer in this case is yes.

Because the film was made over forty years, directors came and went as they had time and energy to devote. It’s not the easiest way to get a film made, with no single vision for everyone to pursue. Archival material emerges over time requiring the previous rough cuts to be rejigged, there are all manner of contingencies just because of the passage of time. This is a film of many sources, including all of Joan’s diaries since she was a teenager, childhood home videos, professional recordings, no doubt a vast treasure trove to sift through. The one constant is the person Joan Baez and her remarkable candour resulting is an intriguing portrait that intertwines both her private and public lives.

There are famous people throughout, not just the young ’Bobby’ Dylan but also Martin Luther King and a US President or two. Joan Baez was attractive to many people and tried to use her influence for good.

I Am A Noise is an information rich biopic about a gentle soul, who rode the waves of fame and inner turmoil and emerged with enough strength and courage to reveal her story in all its rawness. It’s lovely to hear her sing again.

“funny, frank… charismatic…” The Washington Post

Presented by the Townsville Cinema Group.