THE FEATURE DOCUMENTARY GOES LIVE IN UK CINEMAS THIS SUMMER
Modern Films will distribute LADY BOSS: THE JACKIE COLLINS STORY in UK/Eire cinemas accompanied by a Live Event Cinema preview.
Directed by Laura Fairrie and produced by John Battsek and the Academy Award® winning Passion Pictures – along with AGC Studios, CNN Films, and BBC Arts – LADY BOSS: The Jackie Collins Story takes viewers on an immersive journey through the trailblazing life of novelist Jackie Collins. The film will have its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10th which will then be followed by a LADY BOSS LIVE Event screening in cinemas nationwide in late June and a theatrical release in the UK and Ireland on July 2nd.
Spinning together fact and fiction, this feature documentary reveals the untold story of a ground-breaking author and her mission to build a one-woman literary empire. Narrated by a cast of Jackie’s closest friends and family, the film shares the private struggles of a woman who became an icon of 1980s feminism whilst hiding her vulnerability behind a carefully crafted, powerful, public persona. The film evolves from a celebration of Jackie’s revolutionary novels – which placed female sexuality at the heart of their storytelling – into a multi-layered deliberation on feminism, family dynamics, and the universal quest to understand how our childhood experiences and early traumas ultimately make us who we are.
Modern Films acquired the film from AGC International, the international sales and distribution arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, and Modern are now working closely with the producers, leading publicity agency MILK Publicity (Downton Abbey: The Movie and The White Crow), Collins’ estate and her publisher Simon & Schuster. The team want to dig deeper into the crossover of film, literature, design, style, feminism, sexual politics, cultural iconography and self-made women who have pushed boundaries to break ground for themselves and future generations.
Modern Films’ Founder and CEO, Eve Gabereau, says that she “was totally fascinated by this story, from Jackie’s past that made her who she was, to the London to LA super-highway that she paved and to its revelation into what it means to be a creative force, have a vision and work hard to achieve it, notwithstanding huge barriers along the way.” She added that she is “thrilled to be partnering with the creative team behind the film too, who are among the best in the industry.”
Lady Boss director Laura Fairrie says of the film: “For me Lady Boss was always going to be a political film. Jackie Collins has often been dismissed as the ‘queen of sleaze’, but this is to ignore the fact that she consistently wrote female characters that unapologetically demand the sex, careers and lives they want. Her brand of feminism was about sexual freedom, and she wrote about female desire in a way that was brave, bold and ahead of its time.”
Lady Boss Producer Lizzie Gillett adds: “‘We’re incredibly proud of the film which we see as a fabulous, hilarious and deeply moving feminist fairy-tale. This LADY BOSS LIVE cinema event and UK wide theatrical release with Modern Films is hugely exciting and we’re thrilled that groups of friends can see the film together and celebrate Jackie’s life and legacy plus participate in a brilliant debate and open discussion about feminism today.”
The film airs on CNN Films in late June and on the BBC Two and BBC iPlayer later this year.
For press and talent information including high resolution stills, please contact:
victoria@milkpublicity.com and una@milkpublicity.com
For film bookings, please contact: Anna Germanidi, anna@modernfilms.com
