Documentary Feature Takes an In-Depth Look Into The Fascinating Life And Tragic Death Of The Lead Singer of INXS
Fans of INXS will get an intimate look into the life of Michael Hutchence when the feature-length documentary “Mystify Michael Hutchence” arrives in movie theaters across the country for one night only on January 7, 2020.
Written and directed by Richard Lowenstein (“Dogs in Space,” “Say a Little Prayer,” and “He Died With A Felafel In His Hand”), “Mystify Michael Hutchence” is a powerfully intimate and insightful portrait of the internationally renowned INXS frontman. Deftly woven from an extraordinary archive of rich imagery, Michael’s private home movies and those of his lovers, friends, and family, the film delves beneath the public persona of the charismatic ‘Rock God’ and transports us through the looking glass to reveal a multifaceted, intensely sensitive and complex man. For an all too brief time, we revel in Michael’s Dionysian beauty and sensuality on stage and off. We listen to the range of his extraordinary voice and witness the charmed way he travels through life as he is propelled to world acclaim. But Michael struggled with the idea of success, the creative limits of pop stardom and how to express his integrity; a longing that shaped his life and music and gave birth to a desire to go far beyond the constraints of pop. A violent event strikes Michael and changes his life forever, fracturing his sense of self and robbing him of his connection to life. Made vulnerable, he is unable to navigate the complex challenges he faces moving forward and he has little defense against the onslaught of tabloid press that descends upon his world. Amidst the encroaching darkness, Michael’s new-born daughter, Tiger, becomes his one bright light.
Tickets for “Mystify Michael Hutchence” can be purchased beginning Monday, November 8 at www.FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices.
“I am thrilled to be working with Shout! Factory and Fathom Events on the U.S. release of ‘Mystify Michael Hutchence,’” said the film’s director, Richard Lowenstein. “Their innovative approach to cinema distribution and the large spread of hundreds of cinemas across the U.S. is very exciting to us. I look forward to audiences being able experience this visual and immersive feature film as the theatrical experience it was designed to be, with recently discovered personal footage seen in 4K and the digitally restored surround sound of Michael’s music heard and appreciated like never before.”
“We jumped at the chance to be involved with distributing this remarkable and moving documentary, which will give music fans a profound look into the life of an artist we lost too soon,” said David McIntosh, Sr. VP Content Licensing and Strategy at Shout! Studios.
“Fathom is honored to be a part of bringing this tribute to cinemas across the U.S. early next year,” Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt said. “INXS fans will get to experience the Wembley concert and this intimate documentary the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen.”
Check out the trailer for the film here:
Fathom will also be screening “INXS: Live Baby Live at Wembley Stadium” in theaters for one night only on December 9, 2019. Six years to the day of Live Aid and five years and a day since the band supported Queen at Wembley Stadium, INXS headlined their own show at the famed venue to a sell-out crowd of 73,791 crazed fans. The event, called ‘Summer XS,’ was immortalized in the best-selling concert film ‘Live Baby Live,’ directed by David Mallet. The film has been painstakingly restored from the original 35mm negative and is now presented in glorious cinematic widescreen. The restoration process unveiled a ‘lost’ performance, which was not included in the original releases - ‘Lately’ from the ‘X’ album. It is now returned to its rightful position in the concert setlist.
Shout! Studios, the multi-platform entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, acquired the U.S. rights to “Mystify Michael Hutchence,” via Dogwoof, the film's international sales agent.