Berlinale to premiere unseen David Bowie concert film "Stage" at Uber Arena
On Feb. 14, 2027, the Berlinale and producers will present Brett Morgen's arena show built from unreleased footage of David Bowie's 1978 tour. Presales have begun.
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Video: YouTube · davidbowiestage · youtube.com
The Berlinale is taking David Bowie to the arena: "Stage" will have its world premiere at Berlin's Uber Arena on Feb. 14, 2027, in association with the 77th Berlin International Film Festival, the festival announced Oct. 27. The immersive show is built from previously unreleased 35mm footage that David Hemmings shot at three Bowie concerts at London's Earls Court in 1978 during the Isolar II tour. "Stage" is produced by Wonderworld with the musician's estate.
The project comes from documentary filmmaker Brett Morgen ("Moonage Daydream"). He came across the footage about a decade ago while working on his Bowie film and has since restored it, color-graded it, hand-painted parts of it and re-edited it for multiple screens. It will be shown on large LED displays with 7.1 surround sound; according to the production, the setlist includes "Ziggy Stardust," "Rebel Rebel," "Fame" and "Heroes." Bowie himself said in 2001 that he didn't like the way the footage had been shot.
The show starts at 7 p.m., according to visitBerlin. An exclusive Eventim presale began Oct. 28, with general sales opening Oct. 30. Morgen is also due to appear in the European Film Market's talk program during the Berlinale, and a global tour is planned after the Berlin premiere.