Look Away | |
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Directed by | Sophie Cunningham Ben Steele |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Music by | Nainita Desai |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Look Away is a 2021 British documentary film about the sexual abuse of young girls in the rock music industry. The film is directed by Sophie Cunningham and Ben Steele, and produced by Sky Documentaries.
The film's title is derived a track of the same name on Iggy Pop's 1996 album Naughty Little Doggie , which is a "tribute" to one of the most famous "baby groupies" on Sunset Strip in the 1970s, Sable Starr. [1] The track of the same name mentions in its lyrics that Pop slept with Starr when she was 13, [2] with none of the reviews of the album addressing the lyrics. [3]
Look Away is built around extensive interviews with Kari Krome, the Runaways' bass guitarist Jackie Fuchs, and Julia Holcomb. The documentary describes several rapes and other sexual abuse, including a detailed account of the alleged rape of Jackie Fuchs by her band's then-manager Kim Fowley. It also tells the story of the relationship between Julia Holcomb and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler as well as the alleged sexual assault of former Penthouse Pet, model, and actress Sheila Kennedy at the hands of Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose, and offers interviews of other people with experiences of sexual abuse in the United States rock scene in the 70s and 80s. [1]
According to Cunningham, the purpose of the film "is not necessarily about seeking justice in the legal sense, but having a voice – and trying to instigate change. Although we are focusing on a certain era in this film, the music industry is still functioning in a very, very similar way." [4]
Uncut rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5, while The Telegraph , The Guardian and the Financial Times rated it 4 stars out of 5. [5]
The film was nominated for Broadcast Digital Award for Best Documentary Programme, [6] and the director Sophie Cunningham was nominated in the Best Emerging Talent category in BAFTA Craft Awards 2022 for the film. [7] [5]
After the film was nominated by BAFTA, it was discussed on Instagram by Courtney Love, where she supported some of the claims made, commenting that Steven Tyler also adopted another 13-year-old girl in a similar fashion. [8]
On November 22, 2023, Kennedy sued Axl Rose for sexually assaulting her in 1989. [9]
W. Axl Rose is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in 1985. Possessing a distinctive and powerful wide-ranging voice, Rose has been named one of the greatest singers of all time by various media outlets, including Rolling Stone, NME and Billboard.
William Everett Preston was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he backed artists such as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers, Reverend James Cleveland, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He gained attention as a solo artist with hit singles such as "That's the Way God Planned It", the Grammy-winning "Outa-Space", "Will It Go Round in Circles", "Space Race", "Nothing from Nothing", and "With You I'm Born Again". Additionally, Preston co-wrote "You Are So Beautiful", which became a #5 hit for Joe Cocker.
Timothy Simon Roth is an English actor and producer. He was among a group of prominent British actors of the era, the "Brit Pack".
Steven Victor Tallarico, known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, harmonica and percussion. He has been called the "Demon of Screamin'" due to his high screams and his powerful wide vocal range. He is also known for his on-stage acrobatics. During his performances, Tyler usually dresses in colorful, sometimes androgynous outfits and makeup with his trademark scarves hanging from his microphone stand.
Matthew William Sorum is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. Sorum is currently on tour with Billy Gibbons, with whom he also records, is a member of the touring project Kings of Chaos, and is a former member of both The Cult and Y Kant Tori Read. Sorum was also a member of Guns N' Roses side projects, Slash's Snakepit and Neurotic Outsiders, and has released two solo albums, Hollywood Zen (2004) and Stratosphere (2014). He was the touring drummer for the supergroup Hollywood Vampires from 2015 to 2017. His latest project is Deadland Ritual, featuring Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, and Apocalyptica vocalist Franky Perez.
Robert Charles Guccione Jr. is an American publisher and the eldest son of late Penthouse founder Bob Guccione. He founded the music magazine Spin.
Harvey Weinstein is an American convicted sex offender and former film producer. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films including Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989); The Crying Game (1992); Pulp Fiction (1994); Heavenly Creatures (1994); Flirting with Disaster (1996); and Shakespeare in Love (1998). Weinstein won an Academy Award for producing Shakespeare in Love and also won seven Tony Awards for plays and musicals including The Producers, Billy Elliot the Musical, and August: Osage County. After leaving Miramax, Weinstein and his brother Bob founded The Weinstein Company (TWC), a mini-major film studio. He was co-chairman, alongside Bob, from 2005 to 2017.
Sheila Kennedy is an erotic model and actress who was the December 1981 Penthouse Pet of the Month and the 1983 Pet of the Year.
Bryan Jay Singer is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed.
Kirby Bryan Dick is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best known for directing documentary films. He received Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary Feature for directing Twist of Faith (2005) and The Invisible War (2012). He has also received numerous awards from film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival.
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in March 1985 when local bands Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns merged. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic lineup" consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The current lineup consists of Rose, Slash, McKagan, guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.
"You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" is a song released in 1978 by Johnny Thunders, appearing on his debut solo album So Alone and as a single taken from the album. Both the song and album include the guitar work of Peter Perrett of the Only Ones. The title was taken from a line in the "Better Living Through TV" episode of the sitcom The Honeymooners. It is considered by many to be his signature song.
"Back in the Saddle" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It is the first track on Aerosmith's hard rock album Rocks released in 1976. The song was also released as the third single from the album in 1977. It peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Steven Starr is the producer of FLOW: For Love Of Water, and the founder of Revver.
Jacqueline Louise Fuchs is an American former musician. Under her stage name Jackie Fox, she played bass guitar for the pioneering all-girl teenage rock band The Runaways. She is the sister of screenwriter Carol Fuchs and sister-in-law of Castle Rock Entertainment co-founder Martin Shafer.
The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 9, 1992, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1991, to June 15, 1992. The show was hosted by Dana Carvey at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
Mick Wall is a British music journalist, author, and radio and TV presenter. He has been described as "the world's leading rock and metal writer".
Operation Yewtree was a British police investigation into sexual abuse allegations, predominantly the abuse of children, against the English media personality Jimmy Savile and others. The investigation, led by the Metropolitan Police Service (Met), started in October 2012. After a period of assessment, it became a full criminal investigation, involving inquiries into living people, notably other celebrities, as well as Savile, who had died the previous year.
Amy Ziering is an American film producer and director. Mostly known for her work in documentary films, she is a regular collaborator of director Kirby Dick; they co-directed 2002's Derrida and 2020's On the Record, with Ziering also producing several of Dick's films.
The Adult Survivors Act (ASA) is New York State legislation enacted in May 2022 which amends state law to allow alleged victims of sexual offenses for which the statute of limitations has lapsed to file civil suits for a one-year period, from November 24, 2022, to November 24, 2023. The act thus expands the ability of plaintiffs to sue for sexual assault and unwanted sexual contact in the workplace.