David Byrne has revealed that his acclaimed Who Is the Sky? tour is heading to the big screen, with Brady Corbet behind the camera.
The filmmaker, known for The Brutalist, quietly captured several of Byrne’s Baltimore performances in an unusually large 70mm format. Corbet is now working on the film in postproduction, though the project does not yet have a release date or distributor.
Director Brady Corbet secretly shoots David Byrne’s acclaimed tour in massive 70mm format
Corbet filmed the Who Is the Sky tour using both 8-perf and 15-perf 70mm. Byrne admitted he did not initially understand how much the format would change the presentation of his live show.
“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. “He was right, it really does capture the widescreen visual scope of the show. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The production filmed across multiple nights at the Hippodrome in Baltimore, Byrne’s hometown. Concertgoers had noticed cameras at the venue during his May performances, but details about the David Byrne concert film were not public at the time.
Corbet said he appreciated the opportunity to document Byrne’s hometown performances on such a large format.
“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,” he said.
The filmmaker also described the performance as a celebration of community and Baltimore.
According to Variety, Byrne himself is among the film’s producers. The Deep End Films and Corbet’s Pre-Code are also producing, while River Road Entertainment is presenting the project. Representatives have not confirmed whether audiences will ultimately get to see the movie through widespread 70mm screenings.
The project continues Byrne’s history of working with established filmmakers on concert movies. Jonathan Demme directed the Talking Heads film Stop Making Sense, while Spike Lee later brought Byrne’s American Utopia stage production to the screen.
Corbet’s new film will document another visually ambitious Byrne production, this time featuring musicians moving through choreographed performances against large LED screens.
Byrne is currently completing the final North American stretch of the Who Is the Sky? tour, which began in September 2025.
