Link to buy/watch:
https://depechemode.lnk.to/SpiritsInTheForest-SVOD
In 2017, Depeche Mode wanted to promote their Spirit album and tour, reinvigorate fans, and introduce new audiences to the band. So we created a 365-Day Facebook takeover, letting a different fan run the page each day for a year. In 2018 we got a new brief from the band: how do you make the impact of this idea even bigger, and appeal to an audience beyond the fanbase? So we collaborated on a feature film. We couldn’t just make a typical music film though. Because Depeche Mode is anything but typical. So we made a film about the fans from our original Facebook takeover idea.
We were the creators and executive producers of the feature-length documentary, Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest. Directed by Anton Corbijn, it turned the concert film on its head by focusing on fans. We chose six compelling fans from the takeover from around the world and sent them to the final show of the Spirit tour in Berlin. We captured the concert through their eyes, while showing how the band helped them overcome life’s biggest obstacles. From a woman in France who only remembered Depeche Mode music after suffering amnesia, to a man in Brazil who started a Depeche Mode cover band to stay connected to his children, to a woman in LA who listened to Depeche Mode to get her through chemo treatments. These emotional stories interwoven with concert footage resulted in a one-of-a-kind film that any music fan could relate to, because it proved the power of music in all of our lives.
The film premiered in 2,800 theatres globally the weekend of 11/21/19, amounting to $4.5M at the box office. As a result, it was one of the best event cinema releases of 2019. It’s currently streaming on multiple platforms globally and Forbes said it’s “A new gold standard for concert films.”