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Grant Gee’s ‘Everybody Digs Bill Evans’ Bows in Berlinale Competition

The selective biopic debuts with U.S. distribution still in play.

Overview

  • The film premiered in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, marking music documentarian Grant Gee’s narrative-feature debut.
  • Set after bassist Scott LaFaro’s 1961 death, it portrays Bill Evans’ grief, heroin relapse, and a tentative family-aided recovery in Florida.
  • Anders Danielsen Lie stars as Evans, with Bill Pullman and Laurie Metcalf as his parents and Barry Ward and Valene Kane in supporting roles.
  • Reviews highlight a high-contrast black-and-white aesthetic with abrupt bursts of color that give the biopic an experimental tone.
  • Adapted by Mark O’Halloran from Owen Martell’s Intermission, the UK-Ireland-U.S.–financed film was shot in Ireland, reintroduces partner Ellaine Schultz, and is seeking a U.S. deal with Mister Smith on world sales and CAA on U.S.