Brian Eno straddles the avant-garde and pop like no other. In 2023, a comprehensive documentary of his 50-year career is set to hit the screens.
Though he hasn’t courted the headlines like his rock star contemporaries, it’s impossible to overstate the influence of Brian Eno in pop, rock, and electronic music over the last five decades. Gary Hustwit — the esteemed director of Helvetica — has announced that his new project, simply titled Eno, will arrive in 2023.
The accompanying blog post on Hustwit’s website reads: “Rich with access to hundreds of hours of never-before-seen footage, and unreleased music from Eno’s archive, Gary Hustwit’s forthcoming documentary Eno will be released in multiple versions and will employ groundbreaking generative technology in its creation and exhibition.”
Needless to say, we’re a little bit excited.
Need a rundown of Brian Eno’s career up to this point? It kicked off with a stint in the seminal and experimental glam rock outfit, Roxy Music, in the early ’70s. After leaving that band, he embarked on several ambitious solo projects and became a pioneer of ambient music in the process with the release of Ambient 1: Music for Airports, in 1978.
He has since become one of the world’s most influential producers, helping to shape the sound of pop and rock icons like U2, Talking Heads, Coldplay, and more.
Announcing my next film: ENO. The definitive career-spanning, multi-platform documentary about visionary musician and artist @BrianEno. It's like an art film about creativity, with the output of Brian’s 50-year career as its raw material. Coming in 2023.https://t.co/3QYwha2Khj pic.twitter.com/75tgfUAKqH
— Gary Hustwit (@gary_hustwit) April 27, 2022
Notably, the announcement goes on to suggest that the scope of Eno will extend beyond just his musical practice: “Hustwit aims to offer a deep dive into subjects that Eno has been notably passionate about, such as sustainability, social equity, and the future of civilization, while centring above all on the nature of creativity.”
It will also extend beyond the constraints of conventional cinema, with site-specific installations and multiple digital formats planned for the release.
For regular updates on the project, follow Gary Hustwit on Twitter and Instagram.
