Who Is Harry Nilsson And Why Is Everybody Talkin About Him?

Who Is Harry Nilsson? premiers at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater on September 17, 2010 in Los Angeles for a one week only showing and will expand to other US markets during the Fall and Winter of 2010.

Directed by Emmy and Grammy nominee John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon, We Believe), the powerful and incredibly emotional Who Is Harry Nilsson? combines compelling interviews with Harry's friends and colleagues, rare and never-before-seen archival footage, home movies and excerpts from Nilsson's recently discovered oral autobiography.

The star-studded documentary features interviews with Micky Dolenz, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Al Kooper, Randy Newman, Yoko Ono, Van Dyke Parks, the Smothers Brothers, Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams, Robin Williams, Brian Wilson and many more as well as members of the Nilsson family. The result is a vibrant and definitive portrayal of an uncompromising artist.

Born into poverty in a humble section of Brooklyn and raised by his mother after his father abandoned the family, Harry Nilsson overcame many obstacles, achieving the peak of his commercial success in the early1970s, when the album Nilsson Schmilsson was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. The film reveals how his personal life was as complex and contradictory as his music, as well as his spirited relationship with John Lennon and his close bond with Ringo Starr.

A brilliantly gifted songwriter, his work has been covered by a wide range of artists (The Monkees to Harry Belafonte, Blood Sweat & Tears to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Three Dog Night to Ella Fitzgerald, Aimee Mann to Barbra Streisand). And yet, with an irony that was typical of his career, his greatest fame and success came as a singer of other people's songs.

Blessed with a remarkable three and-a-half octave range, Nilsson was the recipient of 17 Gold Records (in addition to his two Grammy Awards for "Everybody's Talkin'" and "Without You") and yet, never cut his music to fit mainstream fashion. He was also considered to be peer-less as a wild man, a legendary party animal who could drink John Lennon and Keith Moon under the table - while also being known as a devoted husband and father.

Intertwined throughout the doc are rare performances from two BBC specials, promo films, music videos, home movies, as well as excerpts from the Oscar-winning film, Midnight Cowboy and an unfinished documentary about the recording of the Harry's 1972 album Son of Schmilsson.