Doc’n Roll Returns to Bristol

These days, it seems you’re more likely to encounter rock stars on screen than on stage. Elton John biopic Rocketman is enjoying a saturation release. Now officially the biggest music biopic ever, Bohemian Rhapsody dominates the summer outdoor cinema season. Aretha Franklin concert film Amazing Grace is the most popular current arthouse cinema release. And Netflix subscribers are lapping up the enjoyably disgraceful behaviour of Mötley Crüe, as The Dirt swiftly became the channel’s most watched original film.

Given that there are so many great stories to tell, with plenty of fabulous accompanying music, it comes as no surprise that many more documentaries and biopics are in the works. An early years Led Zeppelin documentary is being hawked at Cannes. Crazy Rich Asians director John M. Chu has acquired the rights to the 2012 documentary Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey, which tells the irresistible story of how Filipino Arnel Pineda was plucked from poverty to front one of the world’s biggest bands. A documentary about Thin Lizzy and biopic of Phil Lynott have been in the works for a while. Hell, there’s even joy for miserablists in the form of Nick Broomfield’s upcoming Marianne and Leonard: Words of Love, which charts singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen’s long-term relationship with his muse Marianne Ihlen.

Locally, just as the Everyman Music Film Festival draws to a close, the programme has been announced for the Doc’n Roll Festival‘s timely return to Bristol, following its successful inaugural visit to the city last year. Running from June 12-16 at the Watershed, the diverse selection ranges from films about female punk musicians to Blue Note jazz. Follow the links below for further information and screening times for each event. We’ve also helpfully rounded up all the other current and upcoming local music-related screenings.