You did it: You helped save the Vault! Thanks to you, the most at-risk materials in Frank Zappa's private archives are being preserved, and we're making the definitive doc about his life.
The movie in North America! The exclusive Zappa book for those who got it and the exclusive movie soundtrack (see the sweet cover work by Cal Schenkel)!
It's a huge relief to be getting this all rolling finally and I can't wait for everyone to see the film!
More news on the international release as soon as we have it!
Anon,
Alex
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
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
https://deadline.com/2020/08/zappa-magnolia-pictures-serving-up-frank-zappa-documentary-in-u-s-for-thanksgiving-1203006498/
I hope you're all safe and well! I'm just popping in to say we have our distributor and will be announcing our release plans very shortly! Thank you all so much for your patience. As long as this road has been on its own, the pandemic added another six months and a lot of stress and uncertainty. But the movie is coming your way! And when it does, so will the remaining rewards that are tied to the film itself. The book and album are already well down the road and will ship when we have them, and they look and sound fantastic!
Thanks again for sticking with us. The journey is almost complete!
Anon!
Alex