The documentary Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), about the famed art design studio behind album art from Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, has landed at Utopia.
Anton Corbijn (A Most Wanted Man, The American) makes his feature doc debut on the project, which is heading to the Sundance Film Festival after premiering at Telluride. The doc tells the story of Hipgnosis and its founders Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell, who were responsible for some of the most recognizable album covers of all time, including Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, and worked with artists like Paul McCartney, Wings, Black Sabbath and AC/DC.
Interviews include McCartney, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason; Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page; Peter Gabriel; 10cc’s Graham Gouldman; and Oasis’ Noel Gallagher.
Utopia is planning a summer release.
Said Corbijn, “At 17, I started taking photos of musicians who created the soundtrack of my youth, first for magazines and later for record covers, and then trying out moving images as a director for music videos from the early ’80s onwards. It was a long road, but I eventually made feature films: my first one, Control, dealt with music I loved, and now my first documentary deals with record covers and their beauty and power, and the craziness to get there. It has been an honour to tell Hipgnosis’, Storm’s, and Po’s, story in Squaring the Circle, which, thanks to the great team at Utopia, will be a cinema release in the first half of 2023.”
“I’ve had the honor of working with many talented artists over my career and I’m pleased to say that Anton Corbijn stands with the best of them,” said the film’s subject Powell. “It’s been a thrill to see Storm and myself through his lens and I’m glad to be working with Utopia to share our story with North American audiences.”
Raindog Films is behind the doc, which was produced by Trish D Chetty, Ged Doherty, and Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth. Hartwig Masuch, Alistair Norbury, Stuart Souter, Merck Mercuriadis, Thorsten Schumacher, George Chignell, Andrew Hulme and Nick Angel exec produced, with Guy Thompson and Christian Holland co-producing.
“My passion for music developed in the age of the vinyl record. Album art by Hipgnosis was a huge presence for me throughout my teens and so it’s been a pleasure to bring their story to the big screen,” said Firth. “This film coming out on the 50th anniversaries of the most significant albums of that decade feels fortuitous and cause for celebration. I’m excited for audiences to discover the landmark collaborations between Hipgnosis and some of the greatest bands of all time.”
Added Utopia’s co-founder, Robert Schwartzman. “Utopia was founded with this merging of music and film at its core, and Anton’s exploration of Storm’s and Po’s artistry feels like a gift; as a team we could not be more stoked to thrill audiences across North America with his latest masterpiece.”
CAA Media Finance and Rocket Science negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers.
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