A SPIKE LEE JOINT

FROM THE ACCLAIMED BROADWAY SHOW
DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA

 

EXPERIENCE IT LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN STUNNING 4K 

 

COMING TO CINEMAS NATIONWIDE FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY ON 5TH AUGUST

 

DIRECTED BY SPIKE LEE AND FEATURING SONGS WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY DAVID BYRNE

 

 

 

 

“A flat-out masterpiece” Rolling Stone

“It’s a thrilling, witty fusion of dance, music, dance, theatre and pure cinema” Attitude

“A much needed source of comfort and joy” EMPIRE

“Part-pop extravaganza, part-poetry slam, it’s a wonder to behold”  Time Out

“May just be the best live show of all time” NME

“An experience unlike anything else” Billboard

“American Utopia is an outstanding collaboration between two essential artists” Vanity Fair

“A cathartic celebration, exactly when we need it” The Hollywood Reporter

 

The Spike Lee directed concert film documenting Talking Heads’ David Byrne’s acclaimed rock spectacle AMERICAN UTOPIA will be re‑released in stunning 4K for a one night only cinema event across independent and multiplex cinemas on 5th August. Tickets will go on sale on 18 June at www.american-utopia.com.

 

The special one night only event marks five years since it debuted as the opening film at the Toronto International Film Festival and received a celebrated reception at the BFI London Film Festival. The UK and Irish screenings on 5th August offer audiences a chance to experience the acclaimed concert film in cinemas nationwide, this time in stunning 4K.

 

A first-time collaboration between the Academy Award-winning, cult film director, producer, actor and screenwriter, Spike Lee and rock musician and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, the film documents Byrne’s dazzling smash-hit Broadway show, based on the album of the same name released in 2018. 

 

The show played at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre in New York City from October 2019 to February 2020, along with a UK city tour from October to November 2018. It was filmed by Lee with 11 camera operators to intimately capture the multi-faceted production. The show raises political and social issues, whilst aiming to bring audiences together with the power of entertainment. 

 

Choreographed by Annie-B Parson, with Tony-nominated Alex Timbers (director of Moulin Rouge!) serving as production consultant, the show finds Byrne performing songs onstage with 11 musicians from around the world. As well as performing selections from Byrne’s American Utopia solo album, the set list includes hits from the Talking Heads’ back catalogue, such as “Once in a Lifetime,” “Burning Down the House,” and tracks by other musicians such as a rendition of Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout,” featuring the ensemble calling out the names of black Americans who have been unjustly killed in recent years. 

 

Spike Lee, known for his powerful works examining race relations and political issues such as urban crime and poverty, made his directorial debut with the cult 80s film She’s Gotta Have It He has since written and directed such films as Do The Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, and BlacKkKlansman. American Utopia follows Lee’s latest film Da 5 Bloods.

 

David Byrne is a British-American singer, songwriter, record producer and filmmaker, who was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American new wave band Talking Heads.

 

Tickets for AMERICAN UTOPIA’s one night only cinema release on 5th August are on sale from 18th June at www.american-utopia.com