‘Jerry Garcia, Artist’ Documentary Offers Rare Glimpse of the Man Behind the Legend

Co-producers Jerry Garcia Music Arts LLC with Malcolm Leo and Dean Loring Gelfand of Malcolm Leo Productions are set to release an immersive film experience that focuses on the creative spirit of Jerry Garcia. “Jerry Garcia, Artist” is a documentary based on a 1987 interview directed by Leo and filmed at Front Street Studio in San Rafael, California, by the Academy Award-winning cinematographer Russell Carpenter. It features Garcia speaking in his own voice directly to his audience about his music and art. Garcia’s family is coproducing the documentary and has contributed visual art and music to the project. The documentary includes a charitable component that will benefit the Jerry Garcia Foundation as well as a charity of the Co-producer’s choice.

“We envision an uplifting, immersive experience focused on my father’s art and music,” said Keelin Garcia, Jerry Garcia’s daughter, coproducer of the project and president of Jerry Garcia Music Arts. “The story is authentic. My father narrates the film in his own words, directly to the audience.”

The documentary captures Garcia at a peak moment as he eloquently reflects about the life he lived and the music he loved to make. He was unabashedly open to a wide array of subjects, offering a “nothing-off-limits” interview. The documentary provides a journey into Garcia’s artistic world through his personal musings, drawings and insights, including unpublished rare family photos and home movies and newly discovered performances.

Leo, producer and director, and Gelfand, producer, have been combining their special talents rooted in the music industry through their work with Malcolm Leo Productions and, more recently, MELLOWDEE. The Jerry Garcia venture is a natural fit.

“This project is a labor of love for all involved,” said Leo. “And it is the fulfillment of a promise I made to Jerry long ago to do something special with the footage. The film will honor one of the country’s most beloved musical heroes and cultural icons.”

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