Actor Don Cheadle made his directorial debut at the New York Film Festival with the screening of the biopic Miles Ahead centered around the life and music of jazz musician Miles Davis.
The film is set in the late '70s and focuses on Davis return to music after his disappearance from the public eye.
The Hollywood Reporter reported Cheadle, who is also starring in the film, aimed for it to be more experiential for the listener than accurate for the historian stating "I wanted to be able to put all of Miles’ music into the film...I see stories in my head when I listen to his music, and I wanted the music to support those stories."
He also went on to state "For me, the music is not dead; for me, Miles is extensively not dead. And for those who don't know, who have not been formally introduced to his music, it’s the underpinning of a lot of popular music today...It's intended to say Miles is present, Miles lives and Miles is now, and the story of Miles Davis continues."
According to the Guardian, the film starts off with viewers seeing Davis in his Manhattan apartment, where he is holed up while dealing with drug addiction and the memories he has of both his ex-wife and his golden years. The film also tells the story of how Davis reclaimed the rights to his music with the help of a writer played by Ewan McGregor.
Additionally, Cheadle was inspired by Davis' music and said he has wanted to make a film about Davis for a long time.
The film uses real Miles Davis recordings but Cheadle did take it upon himself to learn the trumpet for parts of the music. Cheadle has done a real-life portrayal before in 2004's Hotel Rwanda.