David Byrne "Who Is The Sky?" Tour Becomes 70mm Film

David Byrne is turning his 2025/2026 "Who Is The Sky?" world tour into a 70mm concert film directed by Brady Corbet, with filming completed over multiple nights at the Hippodrome in Baltimore. The project is currently in postproduction; distribution and a release date have not yet been announced.

The tour, which launched in September 2025, has played more than 150 shows across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the U.K., and Asia, according to the release. It wraps September 19, 2026 at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York. Check [upcoming shows and live events](/events) for anything near you before it closes out.

What the "Who Is The Sky?" Film Actually Is

Corbet shot the film on both 8-perf and 15-perf 70mm, a format rarely used for concert films. The wide-format photography was Corbet's idea, and Byrne endorsed it after seeing test frames. "When Brady told me he wanted to shoot our show in 70 millimeter (70 millimeter!) I didn't realize what a difference it would make until I saw some frames he sent me," Byrne said in the release. "He was right, it really does capture the wide screen visual scope of the show. I've never seen anything like it."

Corbet responded: "I am so grateful to David Byrne and his entire team for entrusting us to capture his hometown show on 8-perf and 15-perf 70mm. The band's performance is an inclusive celebration of community, and of Baltimore in particular, one of America's most underappreciated historic cities."

The live production features an ensemble of 13 musicians, singers, and dancers moving continuously across the stage. Set lists pull from Byrne's 2025 album "Who Is The Sky?", released on Matador Records, alongside Talking Heads catalog cuts including "Psycho Killer," "This Must Be the Place," "Life During Wartime," and "Burning Down the House."

The film is produced by The Deep End Films and Pre-Code, Corbet's production company with Mona Fastvold. River Road Entertainment presents. Producers are Amit Dey and Jason Fine for The Deep End Films; Corbet and Maddie Browning for Pre-Code; and David Byrne. Executive Producers include Bill Pohlad, Andrew van Wyk, and Michael Overman for River Road; Meredith and Martin Sumner for The Deep End; and Sam Fayed and Adam Gibbs for Townhouse Media. Global distribution rights are being handled by Byrne's motion picture agents at The Gersh Agency together with The Deep End Films.

Who Is Brady Corbet and Why He Is on This Project

Corbet is best known for directing "The Brutalist," the 2024 independent film that earned 10 Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Actor for Adrien Brody, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. Corbet won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Best Director, and the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. His prior features include "Vox Lux" and "The Childhood of a Leader." His next project, "Origin of the World," starring Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, and Selena Gomez, is scheduled to shoot later in 2026.

River Road Entertainment, which is presenting the film, also produced "David Byrne's American Utopia," the Spike Lee-directed concert film that won two Emmy Awards. The Deep End Films' credits include "The Greatest Night in Pop," "Little Richard: I Am Everything," "The Sparks Brothers," and "Sly Lives!"

For Byrne, this is the third major concert film of his career. "Stop Making Sense," directed by Jonathan Demme and filmed with Talking Heads in 1983, was theatrically re-released in 2023. "David Byrne's American Utopia," directed by Spike Lee, documented the Broadway run of his 2018 tour. This new film, as yet untitled publicly, follows directly from the pattern of treating each major tour as a distinct cinematic record.

Byrne's film credentials extend beyond concert work. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for "The Last Emperor" in 1988 and received a Best Original Song nomination for "This Is a Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

What Independent Artists Can Take From This Campaign

The structural lesson here is straightforward: the live show was designed as a visual piece first, which made the film a natural extension rather than an afterthought. Byrne did not call a director after the tour ended. Corbet was involved in the concept before the cameras rolled, which is why the format choice, 70mm shot in a hometown venue, carries meaning instead of just spectacle. If you are building a live show right now, the question worth asking is whether you are building something worth documenting. Start there, then think about who captures it.

If you are working on your own live presentation or want to submit music for the community to hear, visit [Pass the Aux](/pass-the-aux) or [submit your project](/submit).