Watch the Joan Baez documentary trailer for I Am a Noise

Get up close and personal with Joan Baez in her new documentary, Joan Baez: I Am a Noise, with the official trailer release. Follow this candid look at the singer's history and through her final tour.

Joan Baez, now 82, has a career spanning over 60 years. The singer, songwriter, musician, and activist stated in the opening line of her memoir And a Voice to Sing With, "I was born gifted." She refers to her talent as a singer, but she has also been gifted with many other skills, including her dedication to activism.

Over the years, Baez has made a name for herself as a talented folk singer whose songs encompass protest and social justice themes. She began her musical career in 1958 when the audience consisted of friends and family at Club 47. She was paid $10 and asked to return for two weekly shows at $25 per show. Her first professional performance came in 1959 at the Newport Folk Festival, and the following year recorded her first album, Joan Baez.

She would begin activism in the late '60s, participating in the Civil Rights Movement after hearing a speech by Martin Luther King Jr., with whom she would become friends. She would stand against the war in Vietnam, being jailed twice. She advocated for death penalty reform and, in the late '70s, for gay and lesbian rights. She has continued to stand up for her beliefs her entire life.

Joan Baez I Am a Noise

Using newly discovered home movies, diaries, artwork, therapy tapes, and audio recordings, directors Miri Navasky, Maeve O'Boyle, and Karen O'Connor give an intimate look into the life of Joan Baez. Topics include her emotional struggles, romantic relationships, including Bob Dylan, and her activism work.

According to the press release, the new documentary Joan Baez: I Am a Noise is "neither a conventional biopic nor a traditional concert film." The film premieres in New York on October 6, with a broader release beginning on October 31.

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