Angelina Jolie director brings anniversary screening to Brighton

Iain Softley will be at the Duke of York’s Picturehouse in Brighton, tonight at 7pm, for a screening of the 30th anniversary of his film Backbeat.

The night will involve a showing of the movie in its original 35mm format followed by a live Q and A session.

Backbeat is set in 1960 following the complex story of The Beatles’ first bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and the rest of the band (Image: Mark Tille)“The Duke of York cinema has a reputation for showing 35mm film and Backbeat was shot in that format,” Iain told The Argus, “I think that the intensity of the colour is something that you can only experience when you watch the film as it was originally conceived.

“I believe that it has a way deeper colour range than digital films which are limited and tend to be flat, and it’s one of the reasons I chose Brighton to screen this special anniversary edition.”

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Iain has directed films such as Hackers (1995) which starred Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee-Miller, The Wings of the Dove (1997) which starred Helena Bonham-Carter and K-PAX (2001) which starred Kevin Spacy and topped the US box office, to name a few.

The soundtrack to the film featured the likes of Dave Grohl from Nirvana and Mike Mills from R.E.M (Image: Mark Tille)

Backbeat is set in 1960, where close friends Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) and John Lennon (Ian Hart), along with bandmates Paul McCartney (Gary Bakewell), George Harrison (Chris O’Neill), and Pete Best (Scot Williams), move to Hamburg, Germany, in search of success.

As Stuart falls in love with Astrid (Sheryl Lee), a local photographer, he realizes his commitment to the band isn’t as strong as he thought.

Though the movie gained popularity due to its ties with the band, “This is not a story about the Beatles,” Iain explained, “The Beatles are a part of it, the crux of it is the three friends and how they navigate the complexities of chasing what they desire as they deal with the knockbacks.”

The soundtrack to the film featured the likes of Dave Grohl from Nirvana and Mike Mills from R.E.M.

Backbeat also won Best Film at the  Cleveland International Film Festival (1994), British Newcomer of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards (1995) and Best Debut at the UK Empire Awards (1995).

Tickets start from £13.40 and £11.90 for students and those over-60. They can be booked by visiting : https://ticketing.picturehouses.com/Ticketing/visSelectTickets.aspx?cinemacode=008&txtSessionId=17276&visLang=1

Backbeat also won Best Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival 1994 (Image: Mark Tille)When asked why he chose Brighton for a special screening, Iain told The Argus: “Brighton is a music town, and I actually have a number of friends who work in the music business that are based in the city too. So, it all made a lot of sense for us to do a screening here.

“I was aware of the music scene in Brighton as my sister went to Sussex University and stayed living in the city for a while. We would often go to see gigs together whenever I’d be down to visit.

“We went to the Zap club, which was popular place and in its early days at the time. I feel like Brighton is a place where you can come and see acts in a more intimate environment than London.”

“Brighton just seems like such a compatible place for anything creative, so many musicians, film makers and artists are drawn to it. It’s the perfect place to fraternise.”