British rock band Coldplay headlines a new documentary titled Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams, which has been in the works for 20 years. The feature will include exclusive behind-the-scenes footage spanning their entire career.
The title comes from their 2015 album of the same name, but the documentary’s origins go back much further, intimately tracking the band’s meteoritic rise from bumming around London to selling out stadiums. The trailer for the film showcases tensions within the band as well as the artists coping with negative backlash from the media. Watch it here:
Coldplay broke into the mainstream with their 2000 debut album Parachutes featuring the smash single “Yellow.” They have maintained their relevance for nearly two decades.
A Head Full of Dreams is directed by Mat Whitecross, who worked on the music videos for the Coldplay songs “Lovers in Japan,” “Christmas Lights,” “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” “Paradise,” “Charlie Brown,” “A Sky Full of Stars,” and “Adventure of a Lifetime.” Apparently, Whitecross has been filming the band since their first rehearsal.
While it may have been started earlier, this is not Whitecross’ first film focused on British rock icons. He also directed Oasis: Supersonic, a doc about the eponymous group, and he helmed Sex & Drugs & Rock ‘n Roll, a biopic about English new wave singer Ian Dury.
Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams will stream on Amazon Prime starting November 16th. The film will also play in theaters for one night only on November 14th.
Here’s the official synopsis via Trafalgar Releasing:
‘A Head Full of Stars‘ offers an in-depth and intimate portrait of the band’s spectacular rise from the backrooms of Camden pubs to selling out stadiums across the planet.
At the heart of the story is the band’s unshakeable brotherhood which has endured through many highs and lows.
The film is helmed by Mat Whitecross — director of ‘Supersonic,’ the acclaimed 2016 Oasis documentary — who met the four friends at college in London, before they’d even formed the band. From the very first rehearsal in a cramped student bedroom, Whitecross has been there to capture the music and the relationships on tape.
Whitecross has since directed many of the band’s most iconic videos (including “Paradise,” “A Sky Full Of Stars,” and “Adventure Of A Lifetime”) and continued to document the band’s musical and personal evolution.
Using extensive unseen archive, behind-the-scenes and live footage, ‘A Head Full of Stars’ sees the band reflect upon their two decades together. It was filmed during Coldplay’s record-breaking A Head Full Of Dreams Tour, which was certified as the third biggest tour of all time, playing to more than 5.5 million fans across the world.