Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool is a 2019 American documentary film about Miles Davis, directed by Stanley Nelson Jr.

Production

The film was made for the PBS American Masters television series and premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. It uses interviews that Nelson has done with people who knew Davis, and with scholars, as well as still photographs and film clips. The text of the voice-over narration is entirely by Davis.

Accolades

The film won two Emmy Awards in 2021 for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary and Outstanding Sound. It was also nominated for Best Music Film at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, but lost to Beyoncé's Homecoming.