Celine Dion‘s most prized possession is her voice and the life it has allowed her to live. In the first trailer for the forthcoming Prime Video documentary I Am: Celine Dion, the singer makes clear that she will do anything it takes to protect it — even as she battles her own body after being diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder stiff-person syndrome.
“My voice is the conductor of my life,” she says in the clip for the film, out June 25. “When your voice brings you joy, you’re the best of yourself.” The moment is pierced by two other voices, one of a concerned person repeating Dion’s name over and over and another of a 911 operator asking, “What’s your emergency?”
Dion doesn’t reveal much in the first offering from the documentary but admits that she was initially hesitant to reveal too much about her recent struggles. Her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis came in December 2022. By that point, she had already been forced to postpone and cancel a number of scheduled live appearances. In the trailer, she details the difficulty of making that call.
“It’s not hard to do a show, you know. It’s hard to cancel a show,” she says. “I’m working hard every day, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle. I miss it so much. The people. I miss them.” But Dion is resolved to overcome her circumstances. “If I can’t run, I’ll walk,” she declares. “If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl.”
Prime Video first announced I Am: Celine Dion in January. Peabody and Emmy-winning director Irene Taylor helmed the film, which was captured over the course of a year. It will offer rare access to Dion’s personal life, including the sacred spaces of her home and recording studio.
“This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me,” Dion shared in a statement when the documentary was first announced. “As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans. During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis.”