If the story of John DeLorean, whose car nowadays is mainly associated with Back to the Future, has faded since the cameras, gossip, and intrigue swirled around him in the 80s, his triumphs and downfall, ego, and consequences remain relevant today. DeLorean’s rise at GM began with the immediate success of the GTO but he ticked off the suits with his flamboyant style and attitude that eventually forced him out. He was free to develop and build his titular dream car, which debuted in 1981. Amid an economic recession, poor business decisions, mismanagement, and his air of invincibility, the company flopped, which led to his infamous coke bust and the revelations of theft.
Dan Argott and Sheena Joyce provide a variety of insights from those who worked with him at GM and DeLorean, assembly line workers at the Northern Ireland DeLorean plant, his son and daughter, FBI agents, and others close to him. Also providing a fresh perspective is Alec Baldwin, playing the man himself in re-enactments of key scenes in his life, adding to a deep portrait of a complex, brilliant innovator, designer, and marketing genius whose Midas touch ultimately and quickly disappeared.
This year we are stoked to honor the documentary filmmaking team of Don Argott and Sheena Joyce with our Non-Fiction Vanguard Award. Blending an approach that embraces both art and entertainment, they have made films on subjects as diverse as rock bands, nuclear power, the legal theft of priceless art collections and who really created Batman. They have become one of the trendsetters in the ongoing documentary renaissance that has taken place in the early 21st century.
SF DocFest prides itself in recognizing those unconventional, creative risk-taking filmmakers that are redefining the nonfiction cinematic form and are someone to watch. Please join us Saturday, June 1st at 7pm at the Roxie for a screening of FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN and moderated discussion with the filmmakers, followed by a reception next door at Mission B.A.G. (Bad Art Gallery) at 518 Valencia Street. -CM