Video: Kings of Leon documentary “Talihina Sky” to open deadCenter Film Festival
“Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon” will have its Oklahoma premiere at the 2011 deadCenter Film Festival, which it will help launch.
The documentary about Oklahoma-rooted rockers Kings of Leon, who will appear at 10 tonight on VH1′s “Storytellers,” will be screened at a free, open-air block party to kick off the five-day event. The screening is set for 9:30 p.m. June 8 in the 400 block of North Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City. The format of the event will closely follow the 2010 premiere of “The Birth of Big Air,” which opened last year’s festival and featured a question-and-answer session with producer Spike Jonze and the film’s star, Edmond BMX legend Mat Hoffman.
“Talihina Sky,” which follows the band as it travels to a family reunion in Talihina, tells the story of the brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, who spent their childhood traveling the Bible Belt between Oklahoma and Tennessee with their itinerant Pentecostal preacher father, Leon. Despite their strict upbringing, they formed the rock band Kings of Leon in 1999 with their cousin, Matthew Followill.
Caleb and Jared were both born in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., while Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma City. The band is now based in Tennessee, but the group recently received the Rising Star Award from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
After achieving critical acclaim for the band’s first two albums, 2003′s “Youth and Young Manhood” and 2005′s “Aha Shake Heartbreak,” Kings of Leon rose to stadium status with the breakthrough albums “Because of the Times” and “Only By the Night.” The group’s latest album, “Come Around Sundown,” was released in 2010.
The title of the film is drawn from a hidden track on the Grammy-winning family band’s 2003 debut album, “Youth and Young Manhood,” which in turn is taken from the Oklahoma town where the multiplatinum rockers attend an annual family reunion. The reunion serves as a catalyst to explore the band’s roots and the difficulties they faced growing up. Home movies, childhood photos and revealing interviews with family members — including a colorful group of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins — expose how the influence of their family has informed the creativity that drives Kings of Leon today.
The film made its world premiere as a work-in-progress last month at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Due to scenes with graphic content and adult themes, this film is recommended for mature audiences only.
The deadCenter event is free and open to the public, and a question-and-answer session with director Stephen Mitchell will take place following the film. Special VIP seating for the event will be available for those attending the second annual redCenter Lounge fundraiser, starting at 6:30 p.m. June 8 at Red Primesteak, 504 N Broadway. Call 246-9233 for more information.
The festival will officially celebrate its opening night June 9 and continue through June 12 at seven locations in downtown Oklahoma City. All-access passes are $100 and can be purchased online at www.deadcenterfilm.org.
-BAM
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