Diane Warren: Relentless | Centerpiece Documentary

Centerpiece Documentary

She’s the most successful songwriter you never heard of. Diane Warren has penned iconic works for the world’s biggest pop stars including Cher, Whitney Houston, Aerosmith, Britney Spears and Beyoncé. This in-depth documentary reveals the artist behind the songs. Born to humble beginnings in Van Nuys to a middle class Jewish family, Diane was an outsider at home and in school. The third daughter born to older parents (her older sisters were already 24 and 20), Diane struggled to fit in at home and in school. Music became her escape, and her sole interest was in crafting the perfect pop song. With unrelenting tenacity she promoted her demos with record executives, producers, musicians, and anyone who would listen, ultimately catapulting herself to the top of the charts and the music industry, as well as earning 15 Oscar nominations.

Interviews with friends, industry executives, and collaborators including Cher, Common, Gloria Estefan, Quincy Jones, and Toni Braxton provide an insider’s perspective, while Diane talks charismatically and candidly about her life and career. —Lori Donnelly

Bay Area Premiere

Bess Kargman is a critically acclaimed director, producer and editor. Most recently she won a 2021 Producer’s Guild Award and was nominated for two Emmy's and a Critic’s Choice Award. Her credits include the feature length documentary Diane Warren: Relentless (SXSW Film Festival premiere) and First Position (Toronto International Film Festival premiere), along with the six part documentary series Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women's Gymnastics, and the ESPN 30 For 30 short film, Coach, which won the Jury Prize at Tribeca Film Festival. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Kargman worked as a journalist after graduating from Amherst College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She lives in Los Angeles but is a proud (born-and-raised) Bostonian.