This critically acclaimed examination of the illustrious artist, from Oscar winner Alex Gibney, will air as a two-part docuseries on March 17 and March 24, 2024 at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT
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Paul Simon Graceland Tour Milano 1987
Photo credit: Guido Harari
LOS ANGELES—December 6, 2023—MGM+, a premium linear channel and streaming service, today announced it has acquired the two-part docuseries In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, which will premiere on the platform on March 17 and March 24, 2024 at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT. Directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney (Going Clear, The Inventor), this is the definitive musical biography of Paul Simon, one of the greatest songwriters (and performers) in the history of rock ‘n roll. Granted unprecedented access to the making of a new album, the filmmakers also show never-before-seen footage of Simon’s extraordinary career, from Simon & Garfunkel to the phenomenal global success of Simon’s solo album Graceland.
The docuseries juxtaposes Simon’s process of making a new album during the COVID-19 pandemic against archival material tracing Simon’s career and creative journey, including revelatory, previously unseen footage from such historic moments as the recording of Bridge Over Troubled Water and Graceland, Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable reunion concert in Central Park, and, 10 years later, Simon’s solo concert there, where he performed before 750,000 people.
In Restless Dreams is a meeting of two masters of their craft, a deep look into the miracle and wonder of songwriting, and an exploration of a life of singular creativity that has lost none of its curiosity, ambition, and mystery. Gibney and Simon’s conversations are enhanced by insights from such friends and creative collaborators as jazz titan Wynton Marsalis, Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels, and Simon’s wife, singer Edie Brickell.
“Alex Gibney is one of the most gifted documentary filmmakers of our time, and he has brought his incredible storytelling eye to the fascinating and worthy subject of Paul Simon’s iconic career. Simon’s generational talent and incomparable body of work is expertly presented by Alex and his team,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “We’re thrilled that this stunning deep dive into Simon’s career and creative process has landed at MGM+.”
“Through my company, Jigsaw Productions, I have had the great pleasure of working with Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart, and the team at MGM+ on a number of music documentaries, including Alison Ellwood’s sumptuous Laurel Canyon,” said Gibney. “So I am delighted to partner with MGM+ on In Restless Dreams—a film that has been a labor of love of mine for three years.”
Produced by Jigsaw, Closer Media, and Anonymous Content, the docuseries is produced by Alex Gibney, David Rahtz, Erin Edeiken and Svetlana Zill and edited by Andy Grieve. It is executive produced by Jeff Kramer, Jigsaw Productions’ Richard Perello; alongside Stacey Offman; Closer Media’s Zhang Xin, William Horberg, and Joey Marra; Bob Xu, Anonymous Content’s Nick Shumaker and Jessica Grimshaw, David Levine, and Kristen Vaurio. The deal was negotiated by UTA Independent Film Group and AC Independent.
About Anonymous Content
Anonymous Content is a global media company that produces multi-platform premium content and boasts an exceptional client roster which includes many of the world’s most renowned and innovative directors, writers, and actors. The company’s award-winning Film & TV division encompasses many commercially successful and critically acclaimed works including three-time Academy Award winning film The Revenant, Best Picture Academy Award winning film Spotlight, Academy Award winning film for Best Original Screenplay, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and three-time Primetime Emmy award-winning Mr. Robot. On the film side, they are behind the highlight anticipated upcoming films FOE starring Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal and Aaron Pierre, The Marsh King’s Daughterstarring Daisy Ridley, and the adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Nickel Boys.” Upcoming series include season four of True Detective starring Jodie Foster, Time Bandits from Taika Waititi, Disclaimer from Alfonso Cuarón starring Cate Blanchett, limited series East of Eden starring Florence Pugh with Zoe Kazan set to adapt, and Savant starring Jessica Chastain. The company also has a robust documentary division, boasting a burgeoning slate of premium features including Alex Gibney’s Elon Musk documentary Musk, 5 Seasons of Revolution, Raoul Peck’s Orwell, and In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon. Through its Commercial work, Anonymous Content is also the driving creative force behind countless leading global brands. As part of Anonymous Content’s continued global expansion, the company has established multiple joint ventures with international partners including Spain-based Morena Films, AC Federation, AC Nordic, AC Brazil, and AC Chapter One. For more information, visit www.anonymouscontent.com.
About Jigsaw
Jigsaw Productions is helmed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, considered one of the most prolific and provocative documentary filmmakers of our time. Jigsaw has produced a long list of high-profile documentary films, including the Emmy-winning Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, the Oscar-winning Taxi to the Dark Side, the Oscar-nominated Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, as well as Zero Days, Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, The Crime of the Century, Totally Under Control released theatrically by Neon, a two-part documentary Agents of Chaos; and the Emmy-winning feature The Forever Prisoner. Jigsaw’s slate of highly visible TV series includes: on Netflix, an investigative series Dirty Money, two highly acclaimed food series, Cooked, with Michael Pollan, and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, based on the book by Samin Nosrat; and top-rated How to Change your Mind, based on Michael Pollen’s book of the same name; on Discovery, in association with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, Why We Hate; on AMC, Hip Hop: Songs That Shook America; on EPIX, the Emmy-nominated Laurel Canyon; on Hulu, the scripted series The Looming Tower, based on Lawrence Wright’s 2006 book of the same name; and most recently on HBO, exploring the horrifying yet relatively unknown story of the Christian church La Luz del Mundo and the sexual abuse to scores of its members, Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo. Jigsaw also produced the duPont-Columbia Award-winning podcast, The Line, on Apple TV+. Alex Gibney’s 2-part feature documentary, Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker, premiered in the Berlin International Film Festival in 2022, and is now available on Apple TV+. Jigsaw’s most recent feature documentary, directed by Alex Gibney, In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival. In June of 2020, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine made a substantial investment in Jigsaw Productions making it a subsidiary of Imagine Entertainment.
About Closer Media
Closer Media is a New York-based production company and financier whose mission is to create meaningful stories that bring people closer together. Founded by Zhang Xin in 2022 and under the leadership of Emmy-award winning veteran producer William Horberg, Closer Media is developing and producing scripted and unscripted films and series, with a diverse group of domestic and international filmmakers, for a global audience. Upcoming projects include Alex Gibney’s highly anticipated documentaries Musk which HBO acquired, Raoul Peck’s documentary Orwell acquired by Neon, and Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra, Closer Media’s first narrative feature, starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne and newcomer William Fitzgerald which was recently picked up by Bleecker Street.
About MGM+
MGM+, an Amazon company, is a premium linear channel and streaming service delivering a broad lineup of quality original series and docuseries, the latest movie releases, and classic film franchises—all available in the U.S. on TV, on-demand, online, and across devices. MGM+ is a destination for original premium content, with original series including sci-fi horror series FROM; Emmy-winning series Godfather of Harlem; the Western adventure Billy the Kid; and cinematic dramatic and limited series including The Winter King, Beacon 23, A Spy Among Friends, War of the Worlds, Rogue Heroes, and Belgravia. The network is also the home of acclaimed docuseries, including Emmy-nominated Laurel Canyon, My Life as a Rolling Stone, NFL Icons, and San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time. Premium movies are also available, including Top Gun: Maverick, No Time to Die, Creed 3, House of Gucci, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Till, and Smile.
With thousands of titles available for streaming, MGM+ is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite, emerging digital distribution channels, its MGM+ app, and all new Fire TV device purchases come with a six-month MGM+ subscription courtesy of Amazon. For more information about the current MGM+ lineup, go to www.mgmplus.com or follow on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Press contacts:
Eileen Quast, MGM+
Donna Daniels
Jigsaw Productions