Ben wrote the music for Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story with Paul Pilot for Sony Pictures, directed by Emmy nominee Ryan Suffern and five-time Academy Award nominee Frank Marshall. It features the Marsalis Family, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Springsteen, Gregory Porter, Jimmy Buffett, Katy Perry, Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, aka “Jazz Fest,” is the signature annual music and cultural event of the city and has been called America’s greatest festival. Celebrating the music, food, and arts and crafts of all of Louisiana since 1970, Jazz Fest is an essential showcase of the rich heritage of the region, and hundreds of thousands attend the event each year. Local music heroes are joined on 14 stages by some of the most important figures in entertainment, highlighting the connections between Louisiana culture and the world.
JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY weaves together live performances and interviews from the 50th anniversary of the iconic festival, featuring some of the biggest names in the music industry, along with a wealth of archival documentary footage from the past half century. This film not only captures the Festival in all of its beauty and glory, but also delves deep into the rich culture of The Big Easy.