Definitive Multi-Part Barbra Streisand Documentary in the Works

 Sony Music Vision, in partnership with Columbia Records, Jigsaw Productions and The Kennedy/Marshall Company, has announced the start of production for the definitive multi-part documentary on living legend Barbra Streisand. Directed by fellow EGOT filmmaker Frank Marshall and produced by Oscar-winning Alex Gibney, the project will offer an intimate and comprehensive exploration of every facet of the iconic multi-hyphenate, who, in a career spanning six decades, has excelled in every area of entertainment.  

The production has been granted unprecedented access to Streisand’s personal archives, including hundreds of hours of personal, never-before-seen video, photographs, audio recordings, and personal keepsakes from throughout her acclaimed career. Utilizing this treasure trove of archival materials alongside contemporary verité, the documentary will provide an in depth look of Streisand’s star studded past and her current artistic endeavors.

Among the handful of EGOT winners, Streisand has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She won her first Oscar at 27 years old, has been Grammy-nominated 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. The documentary will explore her journey from her childhood in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl on stage and winning the Oscar for that performance on film. Streisand is an active recording artist and in 2024 she was recognized with the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024.

The documentary is a co-production of Jigsaw Productions and The Kennedy/Marshall Company. Producers include Alex Gibney, Frank Marshall, Aly Parker, Michele Farinola, Tom Mackay, and Jay Landers. The film is presented and distributed by Sony Music Vision in partnership with Columbia Records. Ms. Streisand signed with Columbia Records in 1962, represented by Marty Erlichman who continues in that capacity.

Barbra Streisand said, “For years I've been thinking about the best way to share the vast amount of content I’ve been safely storing in my vault.  These films, photos and music masters — many never seen or heard by the public — hold some of my most cherished memories.  I’m so pleased that producer Alex Gibney and director Frank Marshall have agreed to take this journey with me. My appreciation to Tom Mackay, head of Sony Music’s Premium Content team, for his belief in the project.  And especially to Sony Music Chairman Rob Stringer who has unwaveringly supported so many of my creative endeavors.”

“I’m thrilled to be working with Alex again and to have the opportunity to bring Barbra’s incredible life story to the screen,” said Frank Marshall. “We have been given unprecedented access to archival footage from decades of her groundbreaking career and intimate visibility to the trailblazing she continues to do in life today.  Uncovering these remarkable moments illustrate why she has become an enduring icon to a global audience of all generations.”

Gibney added, “People have been talking about the need for the definitive documentary on Barbra Streisand for years. After a series of wonderful conversations and rigorous research, we are moving forward with Frank Marshall at the helm. I am delighted to produce this film on Barbra, a legendary singer, extraordinary actor, director, and political activist who inspires us all. Did I forget to mention that she’s a great storyteller who is funny as hell?” Krista Wegener of Sony Music Vision will lead global sales for the documentary.  

About Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand’s achievements as a singer, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and songwriter, have been rewarded with two Oscars, five Emmys, ten Grammys, including the Legend Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award, a Tony Award, eleven Golden Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award, three Peabody Awards, and the Directors Guild of America Award for her 1994 TV special, Barbra: The Concert. With Yentl, she became the first woman to direct, produce, write, and star in a major motion picture, and the first woman to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Likewise, she is the first female composer to receive an Academy Award for Best Original Song, for “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born).”

Barbra has also received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honors. She’s been awarded the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, and France’s Légion d'Honneur.     

Throughout her life, Barbra has been a passionate advocate for the causes she believes in. She created the Streisand Foundation to advance her philanthropic interests, ranging from gender equality, human rights, and voting rights, to protecting our environment and heeding the dangers of nuclear proliferation. She founded the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai to support research and raise awareness about women’s heart disease. Recently, she has endowed the Barbra Streisand Institute at UCLA, to examine the critical issues of our time such as truth in the public sphere, the impact of climate change, the dynamics of intimacy and power between women and men, and the impact of art on the culture.   

Photo credit: Russell James