Ibiza and Woodstock explored in new BBC Four documentaries

Two documentaries celebrating seminal music movements head to BBC Four

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BBC Four

This summer, BBC Four is bringing two films to the screen that celebrates seminal music movements which had a seismic influence on culture.

Following its premiere at Glastonbury, Julien Temple’s film about the spiritual isle of Ibiza, Ibiza: The Silent Movie, will be coming to BBC Four as will a new one-off film acquired from PBS about the legendary 1969 concert in Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation.

Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor, BBC Four, says: “Music has the extraordinary power to turn a single moment or a place into something that resonates through history and culture: These two brilliant films explore how this can happen in the most unexpected of ways, and are a fantastic illustration of BBC Four’s commitment to music programming of real depth and insight.”

Ibiza: The Silent Movie was conceived by Malcolm Gerrie, CEO of Whizzkid Entertainment, due to his lifelong connection with Ibiza and he invited Julien Temple on board to tell the story. The film tells, without words or narration, the extraordinary 2,000 year story of dance music’s most influential, charismatic and spiritual island Filled with an explosion of music, imagery, re-enactments and remarkable archive clips, the film is backed by an eclectic score curated and composed by Fatboy Slim.

Ibiza has exerted extraordinary influence over ancient civilisations, music and popular culture throughout the centuries. From explosive beginnings, hewn from two continents, this extraordinary, magical island is raised by Bes, the bronze-age Phonecian God of music and dance and nurtured by Tanit, the Phoenician Goddess of love.

Awash with myths and legends, truths and lies, this tiny speck in the Mediterranean now stands dominant in the global music scene after it drew to its shores refugees from Franco's Civil War and Nazi oppression who paved the way for the early hippy beat paradise of the ‘50s, which in turn gave rise to the increasing dominance of the commercial world that now drives it.

Julien Temple’s film delivers an immersive audio visual experience which features a continuous music soundtrack mixed seamlessly from one to another by Fatboy Slim and drawn from an eclectic mix of classic dance anthems with unexpected material from a wide variety of music and eras.

Julien Temple, says: “I wanted to make a film about Ibiza for the clubbers who go there but don’t necessarily know where that vibe they enjoy so much actually comes from. Hopefully the film can work as a time travel trip informing them of all the characters cultures and civilisations that have been on the island before them.”

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined A Generation takes us back to August 1969 where nearly half a million people gathered at a farm in upstate New York to hear music. What happened over the next three days, however, was far more than a concert. It would become a legendary event, one that would define a generation and mark the end of one of the most turbulent decades in modern history.

Occurring just weeks after an American set foot on the moon, the Woodstock music festival took place against a backdrop of a nation in conflict over sexual politics, civil rights and the Vietnam War. A sense of an America in transition - a handoff of the country between generations with far different values and ideals - was tangibly present at what promoters billed as 'An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music.'

The film turns the lens back at the audience, at the swarming, impromptu city that grew up overnight on a few acres of farm land. What took place in that teaming mass of humanity was nothing less than a miracle of teamwork, a manifestation of the 'peace and love' the festival had touted and a validation of the counter-culture’s promise to the world. Who were these kids? What experiences and stories did they carry with them to Bethel, New York that weekend, and how were they changed by three days in the muck and mire of Yasgur’s farm?

Ibiza: The Silent Movie is an Essential Arts Entertainment, Nitrate Film, Whizz Kin Entertainment, Polite Storm 1x90' film for BBC Four. It was commissioned by Jan Younghusband, Head of Commissioning, BBC Music TV and Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor, BBC Four. The Executive Producers are Malcom Gerrie, Alison Thompson, Mark Gooder, Jan Younghusband, Gerd Schepers, Claudia Bluemhuber, Ian Hutchinson and Florian Dargel and the producers are Richard Conway and Andrew Curtis. It is written and directed by Julien Temple.

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined A Generation is a 1x90' Ark Media Production for American Experience WGBH/PBS in association with NDR, BR and SWR, acquired for BBC4. It was commissioned by Mandy Chang, Commissioning Editor, Factual and Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor, BBC Four. The Executive Producer is Mark Samels the Director is Barak Goodman, the writers are Goodman and Don Kleszy, and producers are Goodman and Jamila Ephron.

Source BBC Four

July 16, 2019 5:21am ET by BBC Four  

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