SXSW 2022 review from Unseen Films: ‘This Much I Know To Be True’

This Much I Know To Be True

THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE is Nick Cave & Warren Ellis performing songs from the albums Ghosteen and Carnage. It’s a performance film shot over five days before they took it on tour.

If I told you this film is a religious experience, you would think I was daft, unless you’ve ever seen Cave in concert. I’ve seen him twice and this film is kind of like that. It’s the point at which music transports one to another place without the need for drugs. The visual tricks are simply the space, lighting changes, camera moves, and the performers. Yes, there are a few interstitials where they discuss what they are doing, but they are merely points to collect ourselves. In all seriousness moments in this film moved me to tears-the beauty of the sound and image took me to somewhere beautiful. The reason was somewhere beyond words.
What stays with me is the soundscape. This is a film I know I will watch hundreds of times in the time I have left simply so I can have the music swimming around inside me. This is a space occupied by very few films, the closest is the Sigur Ros documentary HEIMA which creates a sonic space that is pure magic.
I apologize but this film lives in a place beyond words. I can’t explain it I can only feel it. And I feel it deeply in the bottom of my soul.
You must see this film with as good a sound system as possible. (I am cursing myself for not putting on headphones.)
One of the best films at SXSW and 2022 as well.


For more of Steve’s thoughts on SXSW22, check out Unseen Films!


Nick Cave to Perform in NY to Celebrate the Theatrical Release of ‘20,000 Days On Earth’ From Drafthouse Films

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Following sold-out advance screenings this summer of 20,000 Days on Earth— the groundbreaking new film on celebrated rock legend Nick Cavethe iconic artist returns Stateside for a one night-only encore screening, performance, and conversation event, joined by the film’s directors. Read More →

Drafthouse Films’ ‘20,000 DAYS ON EARTH’ Joins Nick Cave on His Summer 2014 Concert Tour!

unnamed (1)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.

DrafthouseWith 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.

For more information on 20,000 Days On Earth and Drafthouse Films:
About Drafthouse Films
Drafthouse Films, the film distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, is a curated brand of provocative, visionary and artfully unusual films new and old from around the world. Following the earnestly simple motto of “sharing the films we love with widest audience possible,” Drafthouse Films debuted in 2010 with the theatrical release of Four Lions, which was named of Time Magazine‘s “Top 10 Films Of The Year.” Their diverse and unique slate includes the highly-acclaimed, Oscar® nominated documentary The Act Of Killing produced by Errol Morris and Werner Herzog, 2013 SXSW Midnight Audience Award winner Cheap Thrills starring David Koechner (Anchorman), British auteur Ben Wheatley’s psychedelic trip into magic and madness, A Field In England, Ari Folman’s Cannes Film Festival selected sci-fi epic The Congress starring Robin Wright, Harvey Keith, Jon Hamm and Paul Giamatti, Midnight Movie sensations Miami Connection and The Visitor and rediscovered classics Wake in Fright and Ms. 45. Recent and upcoming releases include Dutch thrillerBorgman, Michel Gondry’s Mood Indigo, Sundance Award-winning documentaries The Overnighters and 20,000 Days on Earth featuring musician and culture icon Nick Cave. Drafthouse Films distributes films theatrically, through home video, VOD and their direct-to-consumer platforms integrating into the ever-growing Alamo Drafthouse entertainment lifestyle brand, which along with the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas includes: Mondo, the collectible art boutique; Fantastic Fest, the largest international genre film festival in the US; and the pop culture website Badass Digest.
About Films We Like:
Founded by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ron Mann, Films We Like is a boutique distributor of documentary, independent and international films in Canada. www.filmswelike.com
About Nick Cave
Nick Cave has been performing music for more than thirty years as the lead singer of The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman. He is also an acclaimed film score composer, screenplay writer, novelist and occasional actor. His first novel, And the Ass Saw the Angel, was published in 1989, The Death of Bunny Munro was published in 2009. Cave has also published collections of lyrics & prose – King Ink & The Complete Lyrics.
Cave wrote the screenplay for the John Hillcoat directed The Proposition (2005) and again took on the screenplay adaptation role for Hillcoat’s Lawless (2012).
Together with Warren Ellis, Cave has composed and recorded soundtracks for The Proposition (2005), Andrew Dominik’s adaptation of Ron Hansen’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2006), John Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’sThe Road (2009), Lawless (2012), David Oelhoffen’s Loin Des Hommes (due 2014/2015) and multiple documentaries including The English Surgeon (2007), The Girls Of Phnom Penh (2009) and West of Memphis (2013).
Born in Australia, Cave now lives in England. He continues to record and tour with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and is involved in an ever-increasing variety of music, literary, film and theatre projects.
About Pulse Films
Founded in 2008, Pulse Films is a uniquely integrated production company that has produced award-winning feature films, commercials, music videos, branded content and television formats. Over the past five years, Pulse CEO and co-founder Thomas Benski and Head of Film Lucas Ochoa have developed a partnership that has produced a number of critically acclaimed documentaries and award winning theatrical film releases. Their distinguished slate includes the seminal LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits, the record breaking & Paramount Pictures released Katy Perry film Part of Me and the Grammy and Grieson nominated Blur documentary No Distance Left to Run. Forthcoming theatrical releases include the Sundance award winning 20,000 Days on Earth featuring Nick Cave, The Possibilities Are Endless starring Edwyn Collins, which received its world premiere at SXSW and the 2011 Sundance Best Cinematography Award winner Who is Dayani Cristal? starring Gael Garcia Bernal. Pulse has offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Paris.