The uplifting 89-minute documentary was directed by award-winning filmmaker Mary Wharton (Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President, Sam Cooke: Legend, Elvis Lives!, The Beatles Revolution) and first debuted in March as an Official SXSW 2021 Selection, winning the festival’s Audience Award. The film went on to win Best Documentary Film at the Boulder Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim throughout the film festival season. The picture digs deeper into 2020’s critically acclaimed certified gold reissue, Wildflowers & All The Rest collection (Warner Records) which revealed the long-anticipated second half of Tom’s autobiographical masterpiece. Ahead of its November 11 worldwide release on YouTube, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers will see its theatrical release on October 20 (Tom’s birthday) for a one-night global celebration via Trafalgar Releasing, with encore screenings in select cinemas on October 21.
Produced by Peter Afterman with executive producers Dan Braun, Mary Wharton, and Adria Petty and presented by Inaudible Films, Warner Music Entertainment (Warner Music Group’s TV and Film division), and Warner Records, the documentary illuminates an artist at the height of his powers, providing an intimate and moving look at an enigmatic icon.
Susanne Daniels is Global Head of Original Content for YouTube. Alex Piper, Head of Unscripted for YouTube Originals, and Nicole Emanuele, Development Lead for YouTube Originals, will oversee the project for the global platform.
Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers joins a robust slate of music-focused YouTube Originals including hits like Noted: Alicia Keys The Untold Stories, Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil, Ice Cold: The Untold Story of Hip-Hop Jewelry, The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash, Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert, K-Pop Evolution, BRAVAS, Justin Bieber: Seasons, MALUMA: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré, and Ariana Grande: Dangerous Woman Diaries.
