2017 recording of “Sweet Dreams of Joy” earns 2026 Oscar nomination

The Academy nominated “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” from the documentary Viva Verdi!, for best original song in 2026 even though the song’s vocals were recorded nearly a decade ago, according to a 2017 Facebook post and the filmmakers. Viva Verdi!, directed by Yvonne Russo, profiles Casa Verdi, a retirement home for musicians founded by Giuseppe Verdi, and offers portraits of residents including the tenor Giuseppe Catena and his wife, Iolanda Puglisi.

Russo said she became aware of Casa Verdi in 2011, contacted producer Christine La Monte in 2012, and the independently financed production shot in Italy three times over seven years starting around 2013; the film premiered in 2024 at the Woodstock Film Festival. “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” sung in English by soprano Ana María Martínez and featuring lyrics about “finding the road to salvation,” appears in the film during a field trip to a Verdi opera and at the end to memorialize interviewees who died after production.

Composer Nicholas Pike said he met La Monte in 2016, wrote the piece after seeing a proof of concept, recorded Martínez’s vocals in 2017 and added strings about a year later. Pike, not primarily known for opera, has an Emmy for music for the HBO documentary In Tahrir Square and has worked on films such as Blank Check and on the Will Smith Wild Wild West music video.

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viva verdi

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iolanda puglisi

2017 recording

2026 oscar nomination

best original song

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finding the road to salvation

opera field trip scene

soprano vocal recording

2024 woodstock premiere

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independently financed production

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emmy for in tahrir square

blank check film

wild wild west music video

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