Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

Last updated

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
Grace jones bloodlight and bami.jpg
UK theatrical release poster
Directed by Sophie Fiennes
Produced by
Starring Grace Jones
Cinematography Remko Schnorr
Edited bySophie Fiennes
Music by Ivor Guest
Production
company
Distributed by Trafalgar Releasing (UK)
Release dates
  • 7 September 2017 (2017-09-07)(TIFF)
  • 25 October 2017 (2017-10-25)(United Kingdom)
Running time
115 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
Languages
  • English
  • French

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami is a 2017 biographical documentary film about Jamaican singer Grace Jones, directed by Sophie Fiennes. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently met with generally favorable reviews.

Contents

The film's title references the red light that illuminates in a recording studio when an artist is in the process of recording, which Sly and Robbie would refer to as "bloodlight" when working with Jones, as well as bami, a traditional Jamaican flatbread. [1] [2]

Background

Grace Jones and Sophie Fiennes first met at the screening of a 2002 film about Noel Jones' church, Hoover Street Revival, which Fiennes had directed. [3] The two sparked a connection and decided to make a documentary together, which would end up being over twelve years in the making, [2] interrupted by Jones completing her band and working on a memoir, and Fiennes' pregnancy and other film projects. [3]

The documentary follows Jones as she is visiting her family in Jamaica, recording the Hurricane album, and touring internationally, including in Paris and New York City. Interwoven into the film is also concert footage, with live performances of "Slave to the Rhythm", "Williams' Blood", "This Is", "Warm Leatherette", "Nipple to the Bottle", "Pull Up to the Bumper", and "Love Is the Drug".

Release

The film premiered on 7 September 2017 in Canada at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival. [4] It was subsequently screened at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt, [5] Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland, [6] Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival in Brazil, [7] Doclisboa in Portugal, [8] and Film Fest Gent in Belgium, [9] among others. In the UK, the film premiered on 25 October at the BFI Southbank, [10] followed by its cinema release on 27 October 2017. [11]

The documentary continued its run of festival screenings, premiering in Italy at Torino Film Festival in November 2017, in Norway at Tromsø International Film Festival in January 2018, in Denmark at CPH:DOX in March, [12] and in Turkey at International Istanbul Film Festival in April, among others. It was then released in the US, debuting in New York on 13 and Los Angeles on 20 April 2018. [13] In May, the film was presented at Docaviv in Israel, Docs Against Gravity in Poland, [14] and Beat Film Festival in Russia.

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami was released in the DVD and Blu-ray formats [15] as well as digital platforms such as iTunes Store and Netflix throughout 2018. [16] [17] The physical release reached no. 2 on the UK Music Video Chart. [18]

Reception

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami met with generally favorable reviews. It has an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes [19] and holds a weighted average of 75/100 on Metacritic. [20] In a The Big Issue review, it was referred to as "bold and fascinating". [21] Los Angeles Times praised the film as a "rich, delicate tapestry of a life, where each thread is lovingly woven together to create a full picture". [22] Fiennes' approach was described as "cinematic and rousing" [23] as well as "moving and revealing". [24]

In a more mixed review, The Independent stated that the documentary is "fascinating and enjoyable" yet without explanatory voice-over or archive footage, it only gives "half a picture of its subject", leaving the audience to "clamour for more information". [25] Similarly, Empire referred to it as an "engaging, visually striking" and "fitting tribute to a music icon", but opined that it is "only partially successful" in an "attempt to uncover the 'real' Grace Jones". [26] Some reviewers also described the film as "devoid of backstory, context" [27] or "background of any kind". [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Fiennes</span> English film director and producer

Sophie Fiennes is a filmmaker best known for her films Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (2017) and Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow (2010), as well as for her collaborations with philosopher Slavoj Žižek: The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema (2006), and The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (2013).

CPH:DOX is the official name for the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, an international documentary film festival established in 2003 and held annually in Copenhagen, Denmark. CPH:DOX has since grown to become one of the largest documentary film festivals in Europe with 114,408 admissions in 2019.

Ivor Mervyn Vigors Guest, 4th Viscount Wimborne is a British Grammy Award nominated record producer and Emmy Award nominated composer.

Sciapode is a French film production and distribution company headquartered in Paris. Founded in 2003, the company specializes in producing European feature films, both fictional and documentary, blending different genres and art forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Final Cut for Real</span>

Final Cut for Real ApS is a film production company based in Copenhagen, Denmark specializing in documentaries for the international market. The two Oscar-nominated groundbreaking documentaries The Act of Killing (2012) and The Look of Silence (2014) helped establish the company as a recognized provider of independent creative documentaries on the international stage. The recent years, Final Cut for Real has also expanded to fiction films and virtual reality. In 2019 Final Cut for Real Norway was established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival</span>

Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, known as MFDF Ji.hlava or Ji.hlava IDFF, is a documentary film festival in Jihlava, Czech Republic, normally held in late October. The 25th edition of the festival will run from 26 to 31 October 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Nettelbladt</span> Swedish director and documentary filmmaker

Jessica Maria Nettelbladt is a Swedish director and documentary filmmaker, specializing in personal interviews.

Motto Pictures is a documentary production company based in Brooklyn, New York specializing in producing and executive producing documentary features. Motto secures financing, builds distribution strategies, and creatively develops films, and has produced over 25 feature documentaries and won numerous awards.

<i>Starless Dreams</i> 2016 Iranian film

Starless Dreams is a 2016 Iranian documentary directed by Mehrdad Oskouei.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed Ali Naqvi</span> Pakistani filmmaker

Mohammed Ali Naqvi is a Pakistani filmmaker based in New York City. He is known for documentaries which shed light on the socio political conditions of Pakistan, and feature strong characters on personal journeys of self-discovery. Notable films include Insha’Allah Democracy (2017), Among the Believers (2015), Shame (2007), and Terror’s Children (2003).

<i>Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.</i> 2018 film

Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. is a 2018 biographical documentary film about English rapper and artist M.I.A. Directed by Steve Loveridge, the film follows 22 years in the rapper's life, her rise to fame and her perspective on the controversies sparked over her music, public appearances and political activism.

<i>Generation Wealth</i> 2018 documentary film by Lauren Greenfield

Generation Wealth is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Lauren Greenfield. It follows Greenfield's 2017 book and photo exhibition of the same name.

The Doc Alliance is a creative partnership of seven European documentary film festivals, including: CPH:DOX in Copenhagen; Doclisboa; Docs Against Gravity FF; DOK Leipzig; Marseille Festival of Documentary Film; Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival; and Visions du Réel Nyon. The organisation is based in Prague and was founded in 2008, with the aim of promoting the documentary genre. It is financially supported by the European Union's Creative Europe programme, Czech Filmfund and the Czech Ministry of Culture. Its slogan is "the New Deal for Feature Documentaries".

Antenna Documentary Film Festival was established in 2011. It is an international documentary film festival held annually every October in Sydney, Australia. The festival was set up to promote documentary as an art form, with programming focusing on independent and innovative filmmaking that breaks new ground in the documentary landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonje Hessen Schei</span> Norwegian director and producer

Tonje Hessen Schei is a Norwegian film director, producer and screenwriter who has been making independent documentary films since 1996. Her films mostly take on international issues that question systems of power.

Elvira Lind is a Danish film director based in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathalie Biancheri</span> Italian film director and screenwriter

Nathalie Biancheri is an Italian film director and screenwriter based in London. She is known for directing the films Wolf and Nocturnal.

<i>A House Made of Splinters</i> 2022 documentary film

A House Made of Splinters is a 2022 documentary film by the Danish film director Simon Lereng Wilmont, created with the support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Film Affairs. An international co-production with Denmark, Ukraine, Sweden and Finland, it follows the story of children from a special orphanage in eastern Ukraine.

Twice Colonized is a documentary film, directed by Lin Alluna and released in 2023. A coproduction of companies from Canada, Denmark and Greenland, the film profiles Aaju Peter, an Inuk lawyer and activist who has lived in both Greenland and Nunavut, profiling both her lifelong fight for justice for Inuit peoples and the personal struggles and traumas she dealt with along the way.

<i>Songs of Earth</i> 2023 Norwegian documentary film

Songs of Earth is a 2023 Norwegian documentary film written and directed by Margreth Olin. In the film, Olin follows her 85-year-old father through a year in the natural surroundings of Oldedalen in Vestland, where he grew up. The film had its world premiere during the documentary film festival CPH:DOX in Denmark on 18 March 2023, and a Norwegian cinema premiere on 1 September of the same year.

References

  1. ↑ "In conversation with... Grace Jones, on Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". YouTube. November 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Grace Jones on Her 12-Year Documentary and Studio 54 Antics". YouTube. April 13, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Grace Jones & Sophie Fiennes | 'Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami' Q&A". YouTube. April 23, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  4. ↑ Greg Evans (September 5, 2017). "'Grace Jones' Trailer: Pic Opens Toronto Docs Section". Deadline.com . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ Maha El Nabawi (September 28, 2017). "El Gouna Film Festival: Egypt's new annual film fest gets underway". www.thenationalnews.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  6. ↑ Giorgia Del Don (September 15, 2017). "Zurich Film Festival honours women". cineuropa.org. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ Felipe Ribeiro (September 28, 2017). "Festival do Rio 2017: Confira quais filmes estão concorrendo ao Prêmio Félix" (in Portuguese). www.adorocinema.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". www.doclisboa.org. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Archived: Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". www.filmfestival.be. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  10. ↑ Alistair Foster (October 26, 2017). "Grace Jones jumps around dressed as a bush for red carpet premiere of her new documentary". Evening Standard . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ Carmen Gray (October 21, 2017). "Sexism and the music doc: 'Grace Jones has had her 15 minutes'". The Guardian . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ Anastasia Shekshnya (February 9, 2018). "CPH:DOX reveals the music programme for 2018!". cphdox.dk. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ Wilson Morales (April 9, 2018). "Clips To Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami, In Theaters April 13". www.blackfilm.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami – 15. Festiwal Filmowy Millennium Docs Against Gravity". docsag.pl. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Search Results | HMV Store". hmv.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami on iTunes". iTunes Store . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Is 'Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami' on Netflix UK? Where to Watch the Documentary". newonnetflix.info. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50: 04 March 2018 - 10 March 2018". Official Charts Company . Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  21. ↑ Edward Lawrenson (October 27, 2017). "Bloodlight and Bami, review – a glimpse behind the mask of Grace Jones". The Big Issue . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  22. ↑ Katie Walsh (April 19, 2018). "Review: 'Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami' delivers textured profile of music/fashion icon". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  23. ↑ Fionnuala Halligan (September 8, 2017). "'Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami': Toronto Review". www.screendaily.com. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  24. ↑ Olly Richards; Dan Cairns (October 29, 2017). "Film reviews: Breathe; Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". The Sunday Times . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  25. ↑ Geoffrey Macnab (October 26, 2017). "Film reviews round-up: Call Me By Your Name, Grace Jones documentary Bloodlight And Bami". The Independent . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  26. ↑ Liz Beardsworth (October 23, 2017). "Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami Review". Empire . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ Kevin Maher (October 27, 2017). "Film review: Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami". The Times . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  28. ↑ G. Allen Johnson (April 26, 2018). "Cinema-verite direction gets in the way of showing the true Grace Jones". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved January 27, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.