20,000 Days on Earth

{{short description|2014 British documentary film}}

{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}

{{Infobox film

| name = 20,000 Days on Earth

| image = 2DOE Poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Iain Forsyth
Jane Pollard

| producer = Dan Bowen
Alex Dunnett
James Wilson

| writer = Iain Forsyth
Jane Pollard
Nick Cave

| starring =

| music = Nick Cave
Warren Ellis

| cinematography = Erik Wilson

| editing = Jonathan Amos

| studio = Corniche Pictures
British Film Institute
Film4 Productions
Pulse Films

| distributor = Picturehouse Entertainment{{cite web|title=20,000 Days on Earth (2014)|work=BBFC|access-date=12 June 2021|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/20-000-days-on-earth-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zotc1mta}}

| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2014|01|20|Sundance Film Festival|2014|09|17|United States}}

| runtime = 95 minutes

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| gross = $2,095,156{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=20000daysonearth.htm|title=20,000 Days on Earth (2014) - Box Office Mojo|website=Boxofficemojo.com|access-date=30 September 2017}}

}}

20,000 Days on Earth is a 2014 British musical documentary

drama film co-written and directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.{{cite magazine |title=How Nick Cave Lost His V-Card, and More From the Rocker's Sundance Doc|magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/how-nick-cave-lost-his-v-card-and-more-from-the-rockers-sundance-doc-20140116|access-date=14 April 2014}}{{cite web |title=Drafthouse Films Will Release Nick Cave Doc '20,000 Days on Earth'|url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2014/drafthouse-films-will-release-nick-cave-doc-20000-days-on-earth/|website=Firstshowing.net|date=11 February 2014 |access-date=14 April 2014}} Nick Cave also co-wrote the script with Forsyth and Pollard. The film premiered in-competition in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on 20 January 2014.{{cite web |title=Sundance 2014: World Cinema Documentary Competition|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/sundance-2014-world-cinema-documentary-competitio|website=Indiewire.comn|date=10 January 2014 |access-date=18 January 2014}}{{cite web |title=Sundance 2014: '20,000 Days On Earth' for Nick Cave as man & myth|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-sundance-2014-20000-days-on-earth-for-nick-cave-as-man-myth-20140124-story.html|website=Articles.latimes.com|date=24 January 2014 |access-date=14 April 2014}} It won two Awards at the festival.{{cite web |title=Sundance: 'Whiplash' & 'Rich Hill' Win Grand Jury Awards; Dramatic Directing Goes To Cutter Hodierne For 'Fishing Without Nets'|url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/sundance-film-festival-winners-2014-awards-list-671058/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=26 January 2014 |access-date=12 April 2014}}{{cite web |title='Whiplash' Owns the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Awards Netting Two Top Prizes|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/the-2014-sundance-film-festival-winners-as-they-come-in|website=Indiewire.com|date=26 January 2014 |access-date=12 April 2014}}

After its premiere at Sundance Film Festival, Drafthouse Films acquired distribution rights of the film.{{cite web|title=Berlin: Drafthouse Picks Up Nick Cave's '20,000 Days on Earth' for North America|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/berlin-drafthouse-picks-up-nick-678795|website=Hollywoodreporter.com|date=10 February 2014 |access-date=12 April 2014}}{{cite web|title=Berlin: Nick Cave's '20,000 Days on Earth' Gets U.S. Distribution|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/berlin-nick-cave-20000-days-on-earth-1201095770/|website=Variety.com|date=10 February 2014 |access-date=12 April 2014}} The film released on 17 September 2014 in United States.{{cite web|title='20,000 Days on Earth' Gets a Pleasantly Chaotic Poster Featuring Nick Cave|url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/20-000-days-on-earth-gets-a-pleasantly-chaotic-poster-featuring-nick-cave-20140723|website=Indiewire.com|date=23 July 2014 |access-date=8 August 2014}}

Premise

The film depicts a fictitious 24-hour period in the life of Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, composer, actor and model Nick Cave,{{cite web|title=Movie review|url=http://md-eksperiment.org/etv_pages.php?album_id=191&category=kino|website=Md-eksperiment.org|access-date=5 October 2014}} prior to and during the recording of his 2013 album Push the Sky Away.

Releases

The film also premiered at 64th Berlin International Film Festival in Panorama Dokumente section, in February 2014{{cite web|title=Berlinale Lines Up 10 World Premieres for Panorama Dokumente Section|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/berlinale-lines-up-10-world-premieres-for-panorama-dokumente-section-1201066549|website=Variety.com/|date=22 January 2014 |access-date=12 April 2014}}{{cite web|title=20,000 Days on Earth - Berlin Film Festival 2014|url=http://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2014/02/14/20000-days-on-earth-berlin-film-festival-2014/|access-date=12 April 2014}}{{cite web|title=British film beefs up Berlin Film Festival|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/british-film-beefs-up-berlin-film-festival|website=Bfi.org.uk|access-date=12 April 2014}} and at the 2014 True/False Film Festival.{{cite web|title=True/False movie review: '20,000 Days on Earth'|url=http://move.themaneater.com/blogs/move-m/2014/2/28/truefalse-movie-review-20000-days-earth/|website=Move.themaneater.com|access-date=18 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419012802/http://move.themaneater.com/blogs/move-m/2014/2/28/truefalse-movie-review-20000-days-earth/|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}} It also served as the opening night film at 2014 Sydney Film Festival on 4 June 2014.{{cite web|title=Sydney Film Festival 2014 Announces Opening Night Film|url=http://metroscreen.org.au/sydney-film-festival-2014-announces-opening-night-film/|website=Metroscreen.org.au|access-date=12 April 2014|archive-date=12 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212153151/http://metroscreen.org.au/sydney-film-festival-2014-announces-opening-night-film/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=20,000 Days on Earth offers chance to get close to Nick Cave|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/20000-days-on-earth-offers-chance-to-get-close-to-nick-cave-20140409-36dag.html|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=9 April 2014 |access-date=12 April 2014}}

It was released on 19 September 2014 in United Kingdom.{{cite web|title=Nick Cave to perform live at Barbican screening of '20,000 Days on Earth' documentary|website=NME |date=10 July 2014 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds/78458|access-date=8 August 2014}}

Reception

20,000 Days on Earth received general acclaim upon its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 97% of 38 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.4 out of 10.{{cite web |title= 20,000 Days on Earth (2014)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/20000_days_on_earth/|work=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Flixster|access-date=8 August 2014}} On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film holds an average score of 84, based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/20000-days-on-earth |title=20,000 Days on Earth (2014): Reviews |work=Metacritic |publisher=CNET Networks |access-date=2014-05-29}}

Cory Everett of Indiewire praised the film and said that "While the doc should prove essential for Nick Cave fans, it should be inspiring for those interested in the creative process or anyone searching for their muse."{{cite web|title=Sundance Review: Nick Cave Docudrama '20,000 Days on Earth'|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sundance-review-nick-cave-docu-drama-20-000-days-on-earth-20140123|website=Blogs.indiewire.com|access-date=14 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811023102/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sundance-review-nick-cave-docu-drama-20-000-days-on-earth-20140123|archive-date=11 August 2014|url-status=dead}}

John Semley of Slant Magazine gave the film two and a half stars out of four and said that "While the film is seemingly accessible as a portrait of an artist who seems particularly attuned to his own creative process, and particularly adept at describing this attunement, it's unlikely that many who aren't already whole-hog Bad Seeds fans would be able to stomach much of Cave's self-styled pomposity."{{cite web |title='20,000 Days on Earth' - Film Review|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/20000-days-on-earth|website=Slantmagazine.com|date=12 March 2014 |access-date=14 April 2014}}

Rob Nelson, in his review for Variety, praised the film by saying that "This innovative study of Nick Cave playfully disguises itself as fiction while more than fulfilling the requirements of a biographical documentary."{{cite web |title=Sundance Film Review: '20,000 Days on Earth'|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-20000-days-on-earth-1201073757/|website=Variety.com|date=28 January 2014 |access-date=14 April 2014}}

David Rooney in his review for The Hollywood Reporter said that "What makes 20,000 Days on Earth distinctive is that it provides an overview of the man and his art while creating the illusion that this has come together organically -- out of poetic ruminations, casual encounters, ghost-like visitations and good old Freudian psychoanalysis."{{cite web |title=20,000 Days on Earth: Sundance Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/20000-days-earth-sundance-review-674135|website=Hollywoodreporter.com|date=26 January 2014 |access-date=14 April 2014}}

Accolades

{{Anchor|Awards}}

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Award

! Category

! Recipient

! Result

rowspan="7"| 2014

| rowspan="3"| Sundance Film Festival

| World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary

| rowspan="2" | Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

| {{nom}}

Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary

| {{won}}

Editing Award: World Cinema Documentary

| Jonathan Amos

| {{won}}

Sydney Film Festival

| Best Film

| rowspan="4" | Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

| {{nom}}

International Istanbul Film Festival{{cite web|title=33rd Istanbul International Film Festival, 2014|url=http://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2014/istanbul/istanbul_14_ndx.htm|website=Fipresci.org|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104183250/http://www.fipresci.org/festivals/archive/2014/istanbul/istanbul_14_ndx.htm|archive-date=4 November 2014|url-status=dead}}

| International Competition: FIPRESCI Prize

| {{won}}

Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec{{cite web|title=FCVQ Awards|url=http://www.fcvq.ca/actualites/le-fcvq-remet-ses-prix/|website=Fcvq.ca|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011235107/http://www.fcvq.ca/actualites/le-fcvq-remet-ses-prix/|archive-date=11 October 2014|url-status=dead}}

| International Competition: Grand Prix competition - official feature

| {{won}}

Athens International Film Festival{{cite web|title=Protothema News|url=http://en.protothema.gr/yann-demanges-71-wins-best-film-award-at-20th-athens-international-film-festival/|website=En.protothema.gr|access-date=7 October 2014}}

| Music & Films Competition: Golden Athena

| {{won}}

rowspan=2| 2015

| BAFTA Awards{{cite web |title=Film in 2015 |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2015/film |website=BAFTA Awards |access-date=18 September 2023}}

| Best Documentary

| —

| {{nom}}

Independent Spirit Awards{{cite web |title=30th Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced |url=https://www.filmindependent.org/press-releases/30th-film-independent-spirit-awards-nominations-announced/ |website=Film Independent |access-date=18 September 2023 |date=November 25, 2014}}

| Best Documentary Feature

| Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

|{{nom}}

References

{{Reflist}}