Brett Morgen’s Moonage Daydream will open Sheffield DocFest 2022 on June 23, 2022. Written, directed, edited and produced by Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Cobain: Montage of Heck, Jane) the film which premiered in the Midnight Screenings’ section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, presents a genre-defying immersion into the art and sounds of David Bowie.
The Opening Night will be the ‘People’s Premiere’ taking place at City Hall – 50 years since David Bowie first played the historic Sheffield music venue in June 1972.
Moonage Daydream is the first film to be supported by the David Bowie Estate, which granted Morgen unprecedented access to their collection.
Told through sublime, kaleidoscopic imagery, personal archived footage, unseen performances, and anchored by David Bowie’s own music and words, Moonage Daydream invites audiences to immerse themselves in the unique world that is “Bowie”.
In 2017, the estate presented Morgen with over 5 million assets. Included in the collection were rare and never-before seen drawings, recordings, films, and journals. Morgen spent four years assembling the film and another 18 months designing the soundscape, animations, and colour palette.
Brett Morgen says “I am overjoyed that Moonage Daydream has been invited to be the opening night movie for this year’s Sheffield DocFest. Moonage Daydream invites audiences to come together to participate in a shared experience, to share in the wonder of Bowie. The opportunity to unspool the film at the historic 2000 seat City Hall, where Ziggy performed 50 years ago is in many ways, the fulfilment of that dream. Clare Stewart and the extraordinary team of programmers have expressed such heartfelt support for the film, I’m thrilled we were making this a reality. What a wonderful opportunity to bring Bowie fans and documentary supporters together.”
For the film, the sound team – featuring Bowie’s long-time collaborator, friend and music producer Tony Visconti and Academy Award®-winning sound mixer Paul Massey (Bohemian Rhapsody) – remixed and translated Bowie’s original stems for a theatrical environment.