Girl You Know It's True (film)

Last updated

Girl You Know It’s True
Directed by Simon Verhoeven
Screenplay bySimon Verhoeven
Produced by
  • Simon Verhoeven
  • Quirin Berg
  • Max Wiedemann
  • Kirstin Winkler
Starring
CinematographyJo Heim
Edited by
  • Elena Schmidt
  • Felix Schmerbeck
  • Alexander Berner
Music by Segun Akinola
Production
companies
  • Leonine Productions
  • Wiedemann & Berg Film
  • Sentana Film
  • SevenPictures
  • Mediawan
Running time
December 21, 2023 (2023-12-21) [1]
Countries
  • Germany
  • South Africa
  • United States
  • France
LanguagesEnglish, German

Girl You Know It's True is a biographical film about the controversial late-1980s/early-1990s music duo Milli Vanilli that caused one of the most infamous scandals in international pop music. Between 2021 and 2022, German-Austrian filmmaker Simon Verhoeven wrote, directed and co-produced the biopic, which was produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film, with Leonine as the theatrical distributor, released in cinemas in late 2023. [2] The movie stars Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali as the lip-synching stage artists Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan respectively, as well as Matthias Schweighöfer as the instigating music producer/manager Frank Farian. [3]

Contents

Synopsis

Grammy Award-winning music act Milli Vanilli become the first act to have their prize stripped from them after they are exposed as a fake enterprise with the singers lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks. [4] The movie follows the meteoric rise of European dancers Rob Pilatus (from Germany) and Fab Morvan (from France) as Milli Vanilli to become one of the most successful pop duos of the late 1980s and early 1990s. [5] Led by established music producer Frank Farian, the two then-unknowns became instant global stars with three number-one hits in the US singles charts, and many more around the world. The catch: Only few knew that the duo did not sing themselves. At the height of their fame, Milli Vanilli won the Grammy Award, but the truth was revealed shortly after, which up until today is considered one of the world's biggest scandals in music history. [6]

Cast

Production

Development

In August 2022 it was revealed that Leonine Studios were filming a bio-pic of troubled music duo Milli Vanilli. Writer and director of the project Simon Verhoeven was named as co-producer next to Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann, as well as Laura Mihajlovic of Wiedemann & Berg Film.

One of the executive producers of the biopic is R&B music producer and performer Kevin Liles who composed the original version of "Girl You Know It's True" with Baltimore DJ crew Numarx in 1986. Kirstin Winkler and Frank Farian are also among several other producers; associate producers are Jasmin Davis, daughter of the late John Davis, and Brad Howell. Carmen Pilatus, sister of the late Rob Pilatus, Milli Vanilli’s former assistant Todd Headlee, and Ingrid Segieth a.k.a. Milli, are also attached as associate producers. [7] [8]

Since Morvan had previously sold his film rights to director and producer Brett Ratner, he couldn't be involved in Verhoeven's film, [9] even when Ratner was called out and sidelined during the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, [10] which led to Ratner's competing the Milli Vanilli biopic's cancellation.

Additional production is coming from Sentana Film, SevenPictures and Mediawan. [11]

Casting

Matthias Schweighöfer was confirmed as playing the group’s producer Frank Farian with Elan Ben Ali and Tijan Njie appearing as the Milli Vanilli front men Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus. In September 2022, roles were announced for Graham Rogers and Bella Dayne. [12]

Filming

Filming took place in Munich, Berlin, Cape Town, [13] and Los Angeles in 2021 and 2022 with filming continuing until the end of the year. [14] Filming was confirmed to have wrapped in December 2022, and in February 2023 Voltage Pictures were announced to have acquired worldwide sales (excluding Germany) and were taking the film to the European Film Market. [15]

Release

The film was released towards the end of 2023. [16]

Awards

At the Bavarian Film Awards Bayerischer Filmpreis on 19 January 2024 Girl You Know It's True won for Best Film, as well as Best Newcomers for the main actor duo Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milli Vanilli</span> German R&B group

Milli Vanilli was a German R&B music act from Munich. The act was packaged by Boney M. founder Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus as the lip-syncing dancers, with the two main studio singers, Brad Howell, John Davis and studio singers, Charles Shaw, Jodie Rocco, and Linda Rocco, with an unrelated touring band. Their debut album, as All or Nothing in Europe, and expanded, including Baby Don't Forget My Number and Blame It on the Rain, composed by Diane Warren, as Girl You Know It's True in the United States, achieved international success and brought them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on 21 February 1990.

Arista Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of BMG Entertainment, the North American division of German conglomerate Bertelsmann. Founded in November 1974 by Clive Davis and deactivated in 2011, Arista was re-established in 2018. Along with RCA Records, Columbia Records, and Epic Records, it is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">32nd Annual Grammy Awards</span> Award ceremony

The 32nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 1990, and hosted by Garry Shandling. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fab Morvan</span> French singer, dancer, and model (born 1966)

Fabrice Maxime Sylvain Morvan is a French singer, dancer, and model who was half of the pop duo Milli Vanilli, along with Rob Pilatus. It was later revealed that the duo had not actually sung on any of their recordings. After the scandal, the group reformed as Rob & Fab in the 1990s with limited success. Morvan had a solo comeback in the 2000s, releasing his first solo album, Love Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Farian</span> German record producer (1941–2024)

Franz Reuther, known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German singer and record producer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the Latin pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequently created vocal groups in which the publicised members merely lip-synced to songs sung by session members. Farian owned the record label MCI and several subsidiaries. Over the course of his career, Farian sold over 850 million records and earned 800 gold and platinum certifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Pilatus</span> German singer (1965–1998)

Robert Pilatus was a German singer, dancer, model, and rapper. He was a member of the pop music duo Milli Vanilli with Fab Morvan.

<i>Girl You Know Its True</i> 1989 studio album by Milli Vanilli

Girl You Know It's True is a 1989 album that served as the North American debut of German R&B duo Milli Vanilli. It is a reconfigured and repackaged version of the group's album All or Nothing for the North American market.

<i>All or Nothing</i> (Milli Vanilli album) 1988 studio album by Milli Vanilli

All or Nothing is the debut studio album by dance pop duo Milli Vanilli, released only outside of North America in November 1988. In 1989, it was repackaged and retitled Girl You Know It's True for release in North America on the Arista label, with several of the original album tracks replaced and/or remixed. All or Nothing was a moderate success, reaching the top 40 in several European countries and #1 in New Zealand. It originally reached #37 in the UK, but was packaged together with The U.S.-Remix Album: All or Nothing in 1989 under the name 2×2 and reached #6. After 1990, due to lip-synching allegations, a disclaimer sticker was added on the cover to explicitly name the singers who provided vocals on the album.

Rob & Fab was a short-lived dance-pop music duo formed and fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan in 1990, following their departure from the commercially successful but ill-fated group Milli Vanilli.

Charles Shaw is an American rapper and singer who, in 1988, performed on recordings credited to Milli Vanilli.

<i>The Remix Album</i> (Milli Vanilli album) 1990 remix album by Milli Vanilli

The Remix Album is an album released by Milli Vanilli in 1990. Due to the significant differences between the original Milli Vanilli debut album, All or Nothing, and the North America-only Girl You Know It's True release, producer Frank Farian decided to repackage these previously unreleased songs in a remix album. The album peaked at number thirty-two in the US and was certified Gold by the RIAA in July 1990.

<i>The Moment of Truth</i> (The Real Milli Vanilli album) 1991 studio album

The Moment of Truth is the only studio album by the pop group the Real Milli Vanilli, released in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthias Schweighöfer</span> German actor

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girl You Know It's True (song)</span> 1988 single by Milli Vanilli

"Girl You Know It's True" is a song by Maryland-based group Numarx, later made internationally famed by German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli. Released as the lead single from MV's European debut album, All or Nothing (1988), and the duo's American debut album, Girl You Know It's True (1989), the song peaked at number one on the German Singles Chart, number two in the United States and number three in the United Kingdom, becoming one of Milli Vanilli's most successful singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All or Nothing (Milli Vanilli song)</span> 1990 single by Milli Vanilli

"All or Nothing" is a song by German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli. It was released in January 1990 and was their final top 10 single, peaking at number four in the United States. This was their final single before the lip syncing scandal. In November 1990, the duo's manager, Frank Farian, publicly announced that he had fired Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. He also confirmed long standing rumors that Morvan and Pilatus did not actually sing on any Milli Vanilli releases. Session singers had provided the lead vocals while Morvan and Pilatus lip synced to the recorded tracks when performing live.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milli Vanilli discography</span> Band discography

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Davis (singer)</span> American singer (1954–2021)

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<i>Milli Vanilli</i> (film) 2023 American documentary film by Luke Korem

Milli Vanilli is a 2023 American documentary film about the German-French pop music duo Milli Vanilli, consisting of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan. The film chronicles the circumstances surrounding the duo's meteoric rise to fame and devastating fall. It features rare archival footage, exclusive interviews with Pilatus and Morvan, and interviews with the real singers and record executives. It is directed by Luke Korem and produced by Korem, Bradley Jackson, MRC, Keep on Running Pictures, and Fulwell 73, in association with MTV Entertainment Studios.

References

  1. ↑ Germany's Milli Vanilli Movie - 'Girl You Know It's True'
  2. ↑ Kroll, Justin (August 31, 2022). "Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True' First-Look Photos Revealed By Leonine Studios". Deadline. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Milli Vanilli is the subject of an upcoming biopic — see the 1st pics". TODAY.com. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Milli Vanilli Biopic About the Pop Duo's Scandalous Rise and Fall Unveils First Look". Vanityfair.com. September 2022.
  5. ↑ "GIRL YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE by MILLI VANILLI sales and awards". BestSellingAlbums.org. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Milli Vanilli's Lip-Sync Scandal: Inside One of Music's Biggest Hoaxes". Biography. July 8, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True' First-Look Photos Revealed By Leonine Studios". Deadline. August 31, 2022.
  8. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (September 1, 2022). "Milli Vanilli Biopic Players Revealed in 'Girl You Know It's True' First Look". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  9. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (February 20, 2021). "Brett Ratner Lines Up Directing Comeback On Milli Vanilli Biopic With Millennium Launching Sales". Deadline. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Time's Up condemns return of Brett Ratner after sexual misconduct allegations: 'There should be no comeback'". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Milli Vanilli Biopic Players Revealed in 'Girl You Know It's True' First Look". Hollywood Reporter. September 2022.
  12. ↑ "Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True' Reveals Cast". Billboard.com.
  13. ↑ "Girl You Know It's True". Productionlist.com. September 12, 2022.
  14. ↑ "' Girl You Know It's True' Biopic Depicts the Rise and Fall of Milli Vanilli, Cast Revealed". Americansongwriter.com. September 2, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Voltage Pictures acquires Milli Vanilli biopic 'Girl You Know It's True', shows first footage (exclusive)". Screen Daily.
  16. ↑ "Berlin: Voltage Picks Up Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True'". Hollywood Reporter. February 18, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Milli-Vanilli-Biopic gewinnt Bayerischen Filmpreis". BR24 (in German). January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
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