Steven Soderbergh

Source: Jan Beránek (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderbergh has teased details on his feature documentary about the final interview of The Beatles star John Lennon, with Soderbergh saying the film is “almost done”.

“I’m excited about it, it’s an incredible historical document, this interview,” said Soderbergh of the untitled film. He was speaking at a press conference at the inaugural Doha Film Festival, where his latest film The Christophers is playing this evening.

“The job is to present it in such a way that enhances the interview and doesn’t distract from it,” said Soderbergh. “I’m not looking to reinvent the form, I’m just hoping to create a film that gets as many people to hear what John and Yoko [Ono] had to say on that afternoon as possible. They were both so free in their discussion.”

The film will document the radio interview Lennon and Ono gave on December 8, 1980 – the only radio interview they gave around the release of their album Double Fantasy.

Lennon had just returned from a five-year hiatus from the music industry. The interview with RKO Radio took place at his and Ono’s New York City apartment. He was murdered later that evening by Mark David Chapman outside the apartment building.

Executive producers on the film include Soderbergh, Michael Sugar and David Hillman of Sugar23, and Nancy Saslow and David Hudson of Mishpookah Entertainment Group.

Soderbergh was joined at the press conference by The Christophers star Michaela Coel. Just minutes after Qatar announced an increase in its production cash rebate to 50%, Coel said that the future is bright for the country.

“A lot of studios in America have their eye on Doha,” said the actress-filmmaker. “[Doha] has contributed to a lot of African cinema.” Coel added that it is “a matter of time” before she works in the country. “I hope to also be part of that relationship.”

“What filmmakers are grappling with now, there are so many formats for storytelling, that cinema has to fight to maintain its place,” said Soderbergh in response to a question about the new Doha Film Festival. “Film festivals are one of the ways in which cinema continues to reach people. My career started at a film festival [the 1989 Sundance Film Festival, where sex, lies and videotape won the audience award before winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes a few months’ later]. I hope it doesn’t end at one!”

“Any time a group of people gather in a room and watch one thing together, that is a special experience. I’m very happy to be part of the first official Doha Film Festival, and I hope it continues into the future.”

The Christophers debuted as a Special Presentation in Toronto. It follows the children of a once-famous artist, who hire a forger to complete his unfinished canvases so they’ll have an inheritance when he dies.

Neon – which has signed its own development and financing agreement with Qatar’s Film Committee, announced this morning – is selling the title and releasing in the US.

Doha Film Festival runs until November 28.

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