Jay-Z documentary 'Made in America' lands with Showtime

By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It's Showtime for Jay Z, Kanye West and Pearl Jam. Cable network Showtime has acquired the documentary "Made in America," which interweaves performances from last Labor Day weekend's Budweiser "Made in America" music festival in Philadelphia with inspirational stories. The film, which makes its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, will premiere on Showtime on October 11 at 9 p.m. Jay-Z, who curated and headlined the festival, also served as a producer on the film, along with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the latter of whom directed the doc. The film - produced by Participant Media and RadicalMedia - covers a multi-genre concert whose lineup included Jay-Z, West, the Hives, Pearl Jam, Run-DMC, Santigold and others. The over-arching theme of the movie is the "making it in America" success stories of not just the artists, but the fans, vendors and crew whose lives were impacted by the event. Those stories range from Run-DMC's Reverend Run detailing the unlikely origins of their hit "Walk This Way" to the tale of a single mother who attended the concert in hopes of boosting her struggling food-truck business. "As soon as we saw this film we knew it was a perfect fit for Showtime," Showtime Networks' president of entertainment David Nevins said. "Ron Howard and Jay-Z have crafted an inspirational portrayal of American resilience, drive and creativity, interwoven with an incredible showcase of musical talent."