Nick Cave will perform at a trio of exclusive events this summer in conjunction with advance screenings of 20,000 Days on Earth, the groundbreaking new film on the iconic rock legend, and winner of two awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Canadian distributor, filmswelike, have announced special advance screenings of 20,000 Days On Earth –– the lyrical and inventive documentary on musician Nick Cave — to coincide with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ North American Summer 2014 tour before its wider, traditional theatrical release this September. In association with Goldenvoice, three eventized screenings will take place at The American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles (July 10), The Phi Centre in Montreal (August 1) and The French Institute Alliance Francais’ Florence Gould Hall in New York City (August 4). Each of these screenings will be followed by a conversation with the rock legend himself, during which Cave — in a rare solo piano performance — will play a number of songs from his extensive catalog.The rest of the advance screenings will take place in many of the same nationwide cities as Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ Summer 2014 tour, offering his fans the unique opportunity to watch the Sundance-winning film months before the release. As a nod of appreciation to his fans, pre-sale tickets to these exclusive advance screenings will first be made available to those on Nick Cave’s mailing list and website, nickcave.com/live starting this Thursday, June 5th – 24 hours prior to the general public on Friday.”I am among many who consider Nick Cave the unofficial poet laureate of the modern age,” says Drafthouse Films founder Tim League. “I am personally excited we are able to integrate screening this bold and riveting portrait of an artist with a series of musical performances by Nick for a truly unique experience.”Fusing cinematic drama with reality by weaving a fictitious 24-hour journey through the life of musician and international cultural icon Nick Cave, the film is an intimate portrayal of the artistic process that speaks volumes to music fans, the art community and movie lovers alike. The debut directorial feature film of visual artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the film — which opens theatrically on September 17, 2014– is set to an original score by Nick Cave and fellow Bad Seeds band mate Warren Ellis.

With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the genre-defying film examines what makes us who we are, and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit. The film made its World Premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded both “Best Directing” and “Best Editing” Awards in the World Cinema Documentary category.
Andrew O’Hehir of Salon.com calls it “gorgeous and haunting…an unclassifiable and frequently spectacular documentary.” Rob Nelson of Variety says “simply astounding, razor sharp, dynamic” while Michael Dunaway of Paste Magazine proclaims, “just spending an hour and a half or so inside the mind of Nick Cave would be fascinating enough. But the themes of time and lifetime, and the 20,000-day take on it, make this one a must-see.”

More information on the special screenings can be found at nickcave.com/live.