The Lumineers’ ‘III’ Visuals To Premiere At 2019 Toronto Film Festival
“We were attempting to make a short film with the album serving as our narrator. I never dreamed it would be premiered at one of the top international film festivals in the world”, says the band’s Wesley Schultz.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced the world premiere of The Lumineers’ III (pronounced “three”), a visual exploration of the band’s third and latest album, on Sunday, 8 September at 3PM in Cinema 1 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (Reitman Square: 350 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3X5).
In three chapters corresponding with the album’s 10 tracks, the film explores addiction over three generations of a working-class family in the American Northeast. Initially inspired by The Lumineers’ lead vocalist Wesley Schultz’s own family members, the film is directed by Kevin Phillips (Super Dark Times) from a story by Schultz and The Lumineers’ drummer and pianist Jeremiah Fraites.
A Neighborhood Watch production, III stars newcomer Anna Cordell, Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, In the Bedroom) and Charlie Tahan (Ozark, Super Dark Times) as the matriarch, son and grandson of the Sparks family. All songs were written by Schultz and Fraites. Schultz, Fraites and manager Bernie Cahill serve as executive producers and Traci Carlson and Richard Peete produce.
Shot entirely in Portland, Oregon by director Kevin Philipps, the film’s production team also includes Wyatt Garfield (director of photography), Ed Yonaitis (editor), David Storm (production designer) and Elizabeth Warn (costume designer).
The announcement comes in advance of the two-time Grammy nominated band’s release of their new album III on 13 September through Dualtone (an Entertainment One Company) in the U.S. and Canada and Decca Records for the rest of the world.
“This short film is about a member of my family who’s battle with addiction has led her to rehab, jail, and ultimately homeless now, for over a year,” Schultz explains. “We were attempting to make a short film with the album serving as our narrator. I never dreamed it would be premiered at one of the top international film festivals in the world.”
Following the 44-minute film premiere in Toronto, Schultz, Fraites and Phillips will participate in a Q+A session and The Lumineers will perform.
III is the third album by The Lumineers whose line up consists of original members and songwriters Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, plus Lauren Jacobson, Stelth Ulvang, Byron Isaacs and Brandon Miller. III follows two platinum albums, the 2012 self-titled debut and the 2016 sophomore album Cleopatra. ‘Gloria,’ which Jon Pareles picked for the New York Times playlist upon release of its video, has topped the charts at three formats: Alternative, Triple A and Americana, and it follows the band’s tremendous legacy at radio including 18 No.1 hits on various radio formats.
Listen to the Best of The Lumineers On Apple Music and Spotify.
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