Billie Holiday: A Sensation (2015): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2015, Billie Holiday: A Sensation is a music and documentary film directed by Katja Duregger, running about 52 minutes. “"As a human being she was sweet, sour, kind, mean, generous, profane, loveable and impossible, and nobody who knew her expects to see anyone quite like her again." -- Leonard Feather” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. A documentary about the legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday (1915-1959). There exist many myths and legends about the Jazz Singer Billie Holiday — one of the greatest voices of the last century. Most of them tell the story of the tragic victim of drugs, alcohol, men, color, or the circumstances of her upbringing. To some extent she contributed herself to these legends, especially in her autobiography "Lady Sings the Blues". In recent years, more and more records and reports have shown a different picture of her. These statements of confidants, colleagues and friends clean up with many of the legends and show a strong personality who has been anything but a pitiable victim. Billie Holiday was a strong-willed and determined person and a very complex personality who did not correspond to the classic victim type.

Who’s in it. Billie Holiday: A Sensation stars Billie Holiday as herself and Cassandra Wilson as Herself.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, Billie Holiday: A Sensation sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Billie Holiday: A Sensation page.

If you liked it. Fans of Billie Holiday: A Sensation tend to enjoy Whiplash, Coco, Green Book and The Legend of 1900.