OUTSIDER PICTURES is proud to announce the U.S. theatrical premiere of the music documentary “ELIS & TOM – It Had to Be You,“ opening in cities across the U.S. & Canada on September 15, 2023. The film will premiere in Los Angeles, one week ahead of its Brazilian premiere, where it will open widely on 100 screens.
In 1974, in Los Angeles, Antonio Carlos “Tom” Jobim, the incarnation of Bossa Nova, and Elis Regina, then Brazil’s most famous singer, met to record what would become one of the most iconic albums in the history of Brazilian music. Elis brought her band, who joined Tom Jobim and the best musicians in L.A., arranged by Bill Hitchcock at MGM Studios.
Through rare and never-before-seen images, the new music documentary ELIS & TOM – It Had to Be You tells how the encounter and recording of two iconic musicians occurred.
The recording was captured by a team of filmmakers led by director Roberto de Oliveira, who arranged for the duo to meet. The original footage was kept for 45 years until restored and remastered in 2018. These rare and unpublished images drive this musical documentary. Drama and tensions surrounded the album recording to the point that the project was almost interrupted. In the end, the power of music took over and led Elis Regina, Tom Jobim and a group of talented young musicians to record a masterpiece.
ELIS & TOM reveals the conflicts and joys of a unique moment in time, revealing the intimacy of the creative process and the extraordinary personalities of these fantastic artists.
