NEWS FROM THE 2001 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL! Nicholas Triandafyllidis, producer and director of the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins documentary “Screamin’ Jay Hawkins: I Put A Spell On Me” sees his project as a labor of love:
“The legendary Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was a great influence to many musicians, and his performances were so highly provocative in their originality that even today, someone can call them highly advanced. Many people covered his songs (not to mention “I Put A Spell on You”) and tried to imitate his extravagant appearance on-screen, but the strange thing is that, up to now, nobody was even bothered to make a documentary about him.
I met Screamin Jay Hawkins in September ’99 when he comissioned me to make a documentary about his notorious life in and out of the music industry. We had confidential sessions in front of the camera. Unfortunately, fate plays always-unpredictable games and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins surprised us once more. He came to Greece and he gave his last concerts in Thessaloniki and Athens (10-11/12/1999). After that, he travelled to eternity with his sudden death in Paris on February the 12th 2000. These unique live moments were filmed for this documentary. I’m glad to announce that the film is finally over with a little help from Jay’s friends such as [ Jim Jarmusch, Bo Diddley, Eric Burdon, Rudi Protrudi (The Fuzztones), Diamanda Galas, Arthur Brown and Andre Williams. ] ”
“Screamin’ Jay Hawkins: I Put A Spell On Me” will be screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival on [ May 10th at 1:30 pm ] at the [ RIVIERA V ] .
For more on the film, check back at the soon-to-be-unveiled “Spell” website.
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