David Bowie doco gets Australasian premiere

A startling new film about David Bowie is to have its Australasian premiere at the prestigious 64th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) next month.

In a rare short portrait, Let’s Dance: Bowie Down Under explores for the first time the remarkable, forgotten story behind Bowie’s biggest hit record – and how an unlikely journey, deep into the Australian outback, led to its unprecedented success around the world.

The film features never-before-seen archive with the man himself, plus exclusive, all-new interviews with key collaborators and noted cultural commentators. Charting the unique 35mm shoot for Let’s Dance – from the remote outpost of Carinda to Sydney’s Parramatta Road – the film explores Bowie’s fascination with Australia, at a pivotal moment in time.

The film introduces the forgotten stars of Bowie’s groundbreaking videos, Joelene King and Geeling Ng, as well as award-winning filmmakers David Mallet and Julien Temple, lauded MTV host and Rolling Stone US editor, Kurt Loder, acclaimed DJ and music historian, Norman Jay MBE, and renowned academic, Marcia Langton, who all offer unique insight into this defining era of popular culture. Additional crew also open up for the first time about the historic Australian shoot. Bowie himself reflects through rare and unseen archive.

The team behind this unique project, journalists-turned-filmmakers Ed Gibbs and Rubika Shah, have uncovered a wealth of never-before-seen material during a three-year search. Their starting point: uncovering the fascinating story behind Bowie’s landmark music videos for Let’s Dance, to coincide with the record’s 30th anniversary in 2013.

“We are delighted to be bringing this remarkable, forgotten story home to Australasian audiences,” the filmmakers said. “We were overwhelmed by the response the film had at its world premiere in Berlin. We can’t wait to screen the film in Australia.”

David Mallet, who directed the video for Let’s Dance (and its follow-up, China Girl), is one of many collaborators the filmmakers interviewed for the project. Bowie, Mallet notes, has an uncanny knack of knowing what he wants (and what will work), saying that, “Let’s Dance was unlike any other video… MTV jumped on it, and played the hell out of it.”

Nile Rodgers, the legendary Chic front man who produced the Let’s Dance LP with Bowie, adds that their crossover record was “a new kind of dance music” that appealed to both black and white audiences, with its visual interpretation reflecting a broad-based, cross-cultural appeal.

Let’s Dance – which introduced contemporary Indigenous Australians to a worldwide television audience – transformed Bowie from cult hero to global phenomenon. It remains his most popular release, with single and album sales in excess of 10 million copies worldwide.

Let’s Dance: Bowie Down Under will have its Australasian premiere at the 64th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) on Sunday, August 9th. Tickets can be accessed via the festival’s official site: www.miff.com.au

These exclusive Australasian screenings follow the film’s celebrated world premiere, in competition, at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) earlier this year.