'John Farnham: Finding The Voice' Documentary Heading For TV Premiere

The documentary about legendary singer, John Farnham, Finding The Voice, will have its Australian television premiere on Monday, 24 July, exclusively on Channel 7 and 7plus. Viewers can tune in from 7:30 pm AEST.

John Farnham: Finding The Voice aired in cinemas for a limited period from Thursday, 18 May, with fans reliving the moments that made the That’s Freedom singer “Australia’s Voice”.

The first-ever authorised documentary feature film about Farnham is an inspirational and honest look at a groundbreaking vocalist that features some of his nearest and dearest in music, people inspired by his massive voice and those who followed him from the beginning. 

Those stars include Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes, Celine Dion, Richard Marx, Robbie Williams, Daryl Braithwaite, Glenn and Gaynor Wheatley, James and Robert Farnham and many more. You can watch the star-studded trailer below.

Just days after the film premiered in cinemas, Finding The Voice was poised to break the record for the highest-selling theatrical release of an Australian music documentary.

After its preview screenings on Mother’s Day and opening weekend (starting on the premiere date, Thursday, 18 May), the feature documentary on Farnham raked in over $1.5 million at the Box Office.

After extensive research, director Poppy Stockell was struck by the fact that Farnham’s life fitted the template of the hero’s journey, with the call to adventure, meeting with the mentor, the ordeal and reward, followed by the road back and resurrection, The Music’s interview with the director offered.

The documentary depicts Farnham’s special relationship with the Australian public. “John’s life, his story, is our story,” Stockell told The Music. “Sadie was the biggest-selling Australian single of the ’60s, and I think that says more about us than him.” You can read about how tragedy informed Finding The Voice here.

Also in May, representatives for Farnham, on behalf of his family, revealed that the singer had fully recovered after receiving treatment for a recent chest infection. He was taken to the hospital and treated for a respiratory infection in March.

Last August, Farnham had successful surgery that removed a cancerous growth in his mouth. Nine News reports that the surgery took 12 hours and required 26 surgeons.

Farnham said about his mouth cancer last year, “Cancer diagnosis is something that so many people face every single day, and countless others have walked this path before me. 

“The one thing I know for sure is that we have the best specialist healthcare professionals in Victoria, and we can all be grateful for that. I know I am.”

A few weeks later, he was discharged from the hospital and moved to a rehabilitation centre to continue his treatment.