Bananaz

Infobox Film | name = Bananaz|
| imdb_id = | director = Ceri Levy | writer = Ceri Levy,
Jamie Hewlett | starring = Damon Albarn
Jamie Hewlett
2D
Noodle
Russel Hobbs
Murdoc Niccals | producer = | music = | cinematography = Screen International| distributor = | released = February 7 at the Berlin Film Festival| runtime = 92 minutes| language = English | followed_by = |

"Bananaz" is a documentary film about the animated music group Gorillaz. It is directed by Ceri Levy.

Information

The film was released at the Berlin Film Festival on February 07, 2008.

Cquote|Screen International will be announcing today the release and debut of the Ceri Levy film Bananaz. The definitive Gorillaz documentary, Bananaz is the product of seven years and hundreds of hours of film as Levy followed the band and their friends Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn through a whirlwind of successes.

More info as it comes in this highly exciting development in the world of Gorillaz. [ [http://fans.gorillaz.com/news.php#071024 fans.gorillaz.com :: news ] ]

Cquote|A new documentary film about Gorillaz will soon be released, the official Gorillaz fansite has revealed here. The film will focus on the creative processes that brought the Gorillaz band to life, and on their two co-creators, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. Titled "Bananaz", the film is the result of the director Ceri Levy following Damon and Jamie as they worked on Gorillaz projects for seven years, including the very early days of the project. Hundreds of hours of film was accumulated during this time. A very small portion of the footage has already been seen - the live visuals for Latin Simone (Que Pasa Contigo?) for the Demon Days live shows, was filmed as part of the project, and gives an idea as to what fans can expect from the film. Ceri Levy has also worked on previous documentary films to do with Damon's band Blur.

More details such as screening times and release formats as we get them. [ [http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/203507.html gorillaz_news: Documentary film on Gorillaz "Bananaz" coming soon ] ]

2008 screenings

*flagicon|Germany Bananaz premiered to the press on February 7 at the Berlin Film Festival and to the rest of the world on February 9. The documentary was shown in the festival until February 15.

*flagicon|United States The documentary had its first North American premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas [ [http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/214841.html gorillaz_news: Bananaz website / Bananaz at SXSW Film Festival ] ] showing at Wednesday March 12 and Saturday March 15 [ [http://2008.sxsw.com/film/screenings/film/F12044.html#top south by southwest festivals + conferences ] ] at Texas' Paramount Theater.

*flagicon|Portugal The Indie Lisboa Film Festival held in Lisboa, Portugal twice screened the film in April 24 and May 2. [ [http://www.indielisboa.com/amit/eng/page.php?200 : BANANAZ, Ceri Levy ] ]

*flagicon|Scotland The documentary will be shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival that takes places in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh in late June. [ [http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/films/bananaz/ Bananaz - Edinburgh International Film Festival ] ]

Reviews

Based on reviews gathered, the following are review summaries about Bananaz:

"Bananaz is brilliant, really good stuff, really interesting… a real insight…incredibly creative and original, don’t miss it" James King, BBC Radio 1

"Unconventional, uncompromising filmmaking of the highest order" Chris Tilly, www.ign.com

"Bananaz could surely win over more converts to the already massive cult of Gorillaz and current fans are sure to walk away from the film with an even deeper respect for a band that cloaks its social conscience in zombie films and bubble gum" Andy Gateley, Short End Magazine, USA

* The documentary featured Gorillaz' animated interlude, vintage-looking films, and stop-start still photos as a part of the animation. [http://suchandrika.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/a-celluloid-scrapbook/ wordpress.com]
*An opinion about the movie is that it "lacks structure and information." [ [http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/reviews/sxsw-movie-review-bananaz.php SXSW Movie Review: Bananaz | Film School Rejects ] ]
*Some even complain of poor audio. [ [http://moviedigs.blogspot.com/2008/03/bananaz.html Movie Digs: Bananaz ] ]

References

External links

* [http://moviedigs.blogspot.com/2008/03/bananaz.html Blogspot] (Review from Movie Digs)
* [http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/reviews/sxsw-movie-review-bananaz.php Filmschoolrejects.com] (Review from Filmschoolrejects.com)
* [http://tunaflix.com/?p=1531 Tunaflix.com] (Review from tunaflix)
* [http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2062178420080320 Reuters.com] (Review from Reuters)
* [http://www.bananazfilm.com Bananaz] (Official website)
* [http://www.gorillaz.com Gorillaz.com] (Official website)
* [http://fans.gorillaz.com Fans.Gorillaz.com] (Official fansite)
* [http://www.gorillaz-unofficial.com Gorillaz-Unofficial] (Unofficial fansite)