Dio: Dreamers Never Die, the definitive career spanning documentary on heavy metal legend, Ronnie James Dio, will receive it's world premier at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival, taking place March 11 - 20 in Austin, Texas. The official film poster has been revealed.

This career spanning documentary on heavy metal lenged Ronnie James Dio delves deep into his incredible rise from 50's doo-wop crooner, to his early classic rock days in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, to replacing the iconic lead singer Ozzy Osborne in Black Sabbath, to finally cement his legend with DIO. Ronnie's biography is completely unique to the tired sex, drugs and rock and roll cliches. The film is about perseverance, dreams and the power to believe in yourself.

Dio: Dreamers Never Die screenings:

- Paramount Theatre - March 17, 2022 at 4 PM
- Online only - March 18, 2022 at 9 AM

Ronnie James Dio's widow, Wendy Dio, spoke with journalist Lucas H Gordon about the doc, stating: "I just saw the first cut of it, it was very emotional. It's very different from the book (Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography). It goes all the way from... 'cause the book finishes in 1986, with Ronnie playing Madison Square Garden, but the documentary goes all the way through his life till the end. And it was very emotional. I was watching it with my publicist, Sharon Weisz, and a person from BMG, who are funding the documentary, and we all cried. We all cried, it was very emotional. But it's really interesting and really good. Rob Halford is great in it, talking about stories. Lita Ford, Jack Black. Eddie Trunk and Mick Wall both kind of narrated it and everything. I'm very pleased with it. I don't know exactly when it's gonna come out (this) year, but it'll be out (this) year."

Film credits

Directors: Don Argott, Demian Fenton
Executive Producer: Kathy Rivkin Daum, Wendy Dio
Producer: Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce
Cinematographer: Don Argott
Editor: Demian Fenton
Music: Nick Bassett
Principal Cast: Ronnie James Dio, Wendy Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, Vinny Appice, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Eddie Trunk

The official SXSW 2022 film lineup can be found here.

(Top photo - Gene Kirkland)