Taylor Swift documentary at Sundance: 5 things we‘re hoping to see in the tell-all film
A new documentary charting “a transformational period” in Taylor Swift’s life is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, it has been confirmed.
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, directed by Emmy-winner Lana Wilson, will kick off the festival on Thursday, January 23 2020.
Swift previously alluded to the project in a statement shared in November, when she alleged that Scooter Braun and her former label boss Scott Borchetta had not allowed her to use old music or footage in the film. A source has since told Variety that the documentary now has “full clearance” from Borchetta’s label, Big Machine.
Netflix, who will release the film, have described it as “a raw and emotionally revealing look at one of the most iconic artists of our time,” promising that it will show the star “as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice" - perhaps a nod to Swift's 2017 sexual assault court case, which saw her praised for inspiring others to speak out.
i can't CALM DOWN about Sundance 2020 @taylorswift
A post shared by Netflix US (@netflix) on Dec 4, 2019 at 4:46pm PST
With the film set to look back at a dramatic time in the singer’s life, here’s what we’d like to see Swift lift the lid on in the film...
Her relationship with Joe Alwyn
Swift was first linked to British actor Joe Alwyn (of The Favourite and Mary Queen of Scots fame) back in 2017 and - in stark contrast to her previous romance with a British actor (cough, Tom Hiddleston, cough) - has largely kept her love life out of the spotlight since then.
The couple have rarely discussed one another in interviews and have only been pictured together a handful of times. Could the Netflix doc see them open up about falling in love? We can only cross our fingers for a sit down interview reminiscent of another high-profile transatlantic couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Swift's life in London
Since she started dating Alwyn, Swift has been spending much of her time in the capital - and she's so taken with London that she included a "love letter" to the city, London Boy, on her latest album
However, the scattergun geography of Swift's lyrics left some listeners baffled. Perhaps the film can shed light upon whether the singer really does spend a lot of time on the 35 bus thanks to her penchant for "nights in Brixton, Shoreditch in the afternoon."
Swift's unlikely new squad member... Andrew Lloyd Webber
The era of Swift yelling "Please welcome to the stage..." as she brought out a revolving line up of celebrities to join her on the Red tour has sadly come to an end, but the star's A-list friendship group still remains a force to be reckoned with - not least because she's now recruited musical theatre powerhouse Andrew Lloyd Webber as a pal. We're holding out for a segment showing the pair trading Broadway gossip on the set of the movie musical Cats, ideally with a cameo from Dame Judi Dench.
Her political awakening
After being largely apolitical in the earlier phases of her career, 2018 saw Swift break her silence on all things politics when she threw her support behind two Democratic candidates in the state of Tennessee during the US midterm elections, causing voter registration to spike soon after.
She has since spoken out against Donald Trump, claiming the president thinks the US is an 'autocracy' and took a stand for LGBTQ rights earlier this year, imploring fans to sign the Equality Act which protects LGBTQ people from discrimination.
It'll certainly be interesting to see how the documentary explores the 360 degree turn that Swift has taken when it comes to getting political - and whether there was a specific catalyst for her about turn.
Her star-studded video for You Need To Calm Down
With cameos from stars including the Queer Eye gang, RuPaul, Ryan Reynolds and former foe Katy Perry, Swift surely has plenty of anecdotes from this particular shoot...
