CAN'T WAIT TILL THE REST OF THE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD...
Alex Winter
January 16, 2020
The movie is COMPLETE and headed to its world premiere at our favorite film festival in March, baby! Here we discuss the deets, the ever-bountiful vault and info on future events for backers!!
The movie was accepted to the great SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. I’ll announce the screening dates as soon as I have them! I couldn’t be more thrilled; this is both a movie and music festival and draws a huge crowd of music lovers. Please come join us if you can. And thanks to Rolling Stone for this cool piece on the premiere!
Of course now we will also be scheduling the other backer screenings in the different cities around the country. We are working in collaboration with the mighty Alamo Draft House who know how to put on a great show, and I can’t wait to meet all of you at those screenings! Look for announcements of those dates to follow the SXSW premiere, as well as additional film festivals worldwide!
The coffee table book is being made as we speak; stuffed with never before seen images and the text being written for us by the legendary David Fricke, with design by the great Mike Mesker. It’s going to be amazing! The soundtrack is also in the works, with original album cover art being created by the genius Cal Schenkel. We’re not f*cking around! And all information on the dates for those and the other remaining backer rewards will go out as soon as we have them!
From Deadline Hollywood:
Frank Zappa Magnolia Pictures
EXCLUSIVE: It won’t be absolutely free, but a new Frank Zappa movie is coming to North America. Magnolia Pictures has acquired rights to Zappa, a documentary directed by Bill & Ted’s Alex Winter that will hit theaters and VOD on Thanksgiving weekend.
Billed as an intimate and expansive look into the innovative life of the iconic — and iconoclastic — musician and artist, the pic was made with unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage. It explores the private life behind the musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time.
Zappa features appearances by the musician’s widow Gail Zappa and several of his musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others.
“Alex Winter has created an amazing documentary,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Zappa is an incredibly nuanced and compelling look at the visionary iconoclast and the environment that formed him.”
Added Winter, the former child actor who helmed the recent docu Showbiz Kids: “This is the most ambitious project I’ve ever worked on, with a couple years of archival preservation in addition to several years to make the film itself. This isn’t your typical music doc but rather a multi-faceted narrative that aims to bring this complex artist to life. Magnolia, with its long and distinguished history of platforming great cinema, is the perfect home for Zappa.”
Winter also produced the docu along with Glen Zipper, Ahmet Zappa, John Frizzell, Devorah DeVries and Jade Allen. The executive producers are Robert Halmi and Jim Reeve of Great Point Media.
Magnolia has rocked a couple of other music-docu acquisitions of late. In June it acquired Crock of Gold – A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, the Johnny Depp-produced pic about the Pogues frontman. At Toronto last year, it picked up Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band.
Last month it released John Lewis: Good Trouble, a documentary about about the late civil rights legend.
The Zappa deal was negotiated by Magnolia EVP Dori Begley and SVP Acquisitions John Von Thaden with CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers. The pic releases November 27
Sounds like a great project. However, It would seem due to the legal wrangling and personal issues between the owners of Frank’s estate, that Dweezil’s involvement is minimal whereas Ahmet is listed as a co-producer.
I could be way off, but in my opinion Dweezil is the linchpin into much of Frank’s music, his personality, life behind the scenes in the later years, and what it’s like to keep his music alive by actually playing the music around the world for Frank’s still very rabid fans.
Sounds like a great project. However, It would seem due to the legal wrangling and personal issues between the owners of Frank’s estate, that Dweezil’s involvement is minimal whereas Ahmet is listed as a co-producer.
I could be way off, but in my opinion Dweezil is the linchpin into much of Frank’s music, his personality, life behind the scenes in the later years, and what it’s like to keep his music alive by actually playing the music around the world for Frank’s still very rabid fans.
I agree.
I also can't wait to see this.
I got into FZ as a 13 year old in 1972.
Never got tired/bored with his work.
Some wasn't compelling for me but others were awesome.
Like the Dead but with much more music "structure" and for sure, humor.
Thumbs up to Dweezil.
I enjoy some Zappa but find some of his stuff gimmicky. He's an amazing (and underrated) guitarist. Some of his compositions seem to me like very interesting theoretical experiments rather than enjoyable soulful creations. They show immense knowledge and unorthodox thinking, certainly. I find a lot of his humor sophomoric and am unmoved by a lot of his "shock" tactics. (I'm not a big Howard Stern guy either!!)
All of that sounds very critical. I actually own about 20 of his albums and can enjoy him. I just find it all a mixed bag.
BUT: I went to see Dweezil last year and was completely convinced by what Dweezil was doing. It was the Hot Rats plus other stuff show. The music and the hot guitar playing was at the forefront of the show, and it was stunning. Anyone who entered there like me with some mixed feelings was certainly won over by what Dweezil served up. I'd see Dweezil playing Frank Zappa's music again in a heartbeat.
PhotoRon, I find the Dead more melodic and soulful than Zappa overall, but he's definitely funnier!!
The Dweezil vs Family Trust is easy to look up.
I believe Alex Winter was a true fan and stayed out of the fray. He also helped to raise money to save all of Frank's vault/archives and also worked on them. He did alot of work.
Anyhow, I am very excited about this.
