Amazon Studios Acquires J Balvin Docu ‘The Boy From Medellín’ By Matthew Heineman

Dino-Ray Ramos
·4 min read

The world is about to be immersed in the life of musician J Balvin. Amazon Studios has acquired the worldwide rights to the documentary The Boy From Medellín ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Directed by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman and backed by Endeavor Content, the docu puts a spotlight on the reggaeton superstar that is one of the most influential Latinx musicians of our time.

The Boy from Medellín gives audiences unprecedented access to J Balvin as he prepares for the biggest concert of his life — a sold-out performance in his hometown of Medellín, Colombia. The docu dives deep into the musician’s life as he takes us behind the scenes to show us a pivotal and emotionally charged moment of his life.

“Representing my country, my city and Latin culture globally is a lifelong pursuit and I’m so proud to be a son of Medellín,” said Balvin. “I’m honored to be able to tell my story in this beautiful way and working with Matthew on this project was an incredible experience. Thank you to Amazon for making sure this story can be seen around the world.”

“I am excited to partner with Amazon in bringing Jose’s powerful personal story to a global audience,” said Heineman. “While J Balvin is the undeniably talented musical icon behind some of the world’s most popular songs, Jose’s strength and openness in talking about his struggles with mental health drew me to make the film.”

He continued, “I was honored that Jose gave us extremely intimate access to this important moment in his life, and the result is a universal story about a man trying to reckon with his place in this world that I hope will resonate with fans and new audiences alike.”

“The Boy from Medellín is a poignant and transparent snapshot of Latin superstar J Balvin’s journey at such a crucial time in Colombia’s history,” said Javiera Balmaceda, Head of International Originals in Argentina, Chile and Colombia, Amazon Studios. “[Heineman] is a master of his craft, and beautifully depicts the perspective of an international music icon. We are thrilled to welcome Matthew back to the Amazon family and to share J Balvin’s story with our global customers.”

The Boy from Medellín is produced by Our Time Projects and SB Projects. Heineman previously worked with Amazon Studios for his film City of Ghosts, for which he won a DGA Award. He also directed A Private War, which earned him aa nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First Time Feature Film Director from the DGA, making him and Martin Scorsese the only filmmakers ever nominated for both narrative and documentary DGA Awards. His previous credits also include the docuseries The Trade as well as the 2015 docu Cartel Land, which was nominated for an Oscar and won three Emmys. Heineman continues balancing documentary and narrative filmmaking and is currently in production on a docu about COVID-19 as well as the narrative adaptation of Pardise Fire for Focus Features, which will be based on true events of the 2018 Paradise Fire.

Four-time Latin Grammy winner J Balvin is one of the top streaming music artists in the world. His latest album, Colores garnered critical and commercial success. With his songs “Blanco,” “Morado” and “Rojo” hitting number one on the charts, he became the artist with the most #1-songs on the Latin Airplay charts in history, with 24 of his songs earning that spot over the course of his career.

From Our Time Projects, producers are Heineman, Juan Camilo Cruz, Myles Estey and Joedan Okun. Executive Producers are Scooter Braun, Allison Kaye, Scott Manson and Jennifer McDaniels on behalf of SB Projects, Fabio Acosta, José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, Jenna Millman and Juan Diego Villegas.

Endeavor Content fully financed the documentary and handled worldwide sales on The Boy From Medellín.

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