The spirit of late pop and rock icon David Bowie is set to return to Berlin, the city he called home in the mid-1970s.
The Berlin Film Festival has announced it will world premiere U.S. documentarian Brett Morgen’s immersive concert experience David Bowie “Stage” during its 77th edition in the city’s 17,000-capacity Uber Arena venue.
Combining previously unseen Bowie concert footage and an immersive sound and light experience, the production is billed as “a new way of experiencing one of the most influential artists of the 20th century”.
The work is designed around recently discovered and restored footage from the 1978 Isolar II World Tour, during which Bowie performed material from his landmark album ‘Heroes’.
Morgen first discovered the original camera negatives while working on his Grammy Award-winning, Oscar-nominated bio-doc Moonage Daydream, charting Bowie’s life and career. World premiering in Cannes in 2022, it was the first film to be officially authorized by Bowie’s estate.
The new three-screen immersive experience combines large-scale projections and transparent LED screens with an elaborate lighting design by lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, whose credits include collaborations with The Rolling Stones and Elton John.
The production is further enhanced by a specially created sound mix from Academy Award winner Paul Massey (Bohemian Rhapsody, Michael, Moonage Daydream), and places audiences at the centre of a live concert experience using state-of-the-art 7.1 surround technology and spatial audio design.
The production is a collaboration between Rob Hallett’s Wonderworld, the David Bowie Estate and Morgen.
“David Bowie has bestowed upon us an extraordinary treasure, an unprecedented concert experience that has yet to be witnessed,” said live entertainment veteran and former AEG International President Hallet.
“Working hand-in-hand with David Bowie’s Estate and Brett Morgen, we are ensuring this experience is 100% faithful to his legacy while making his genius accessible to global fans and a new generation.”
Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle added: “To have this world premiere in Berlin, a city so closely connected to David Bowie, makes the experience especially meaningful,” added Tricia Tuttle, Director of the Berlinale.
“The Berlinale is a place where cinema, art, and new forms of storytelling intersect. It’s like a dream come true: Bowie, Brett Morgen, a world-class sound and light team all coming together in the city’s premiere music arena.”
Morgen, whose credits also include Kurt Cobain bio-doc Cobain: Montage of Heck and Jane about Jane Goodall, will also be a headline speaker in the talks program of the Berlinale’s European Film Market (EFM).
The 77th Berlinale will run from February 10 to 21, 2027, with the David Bowie “Stage” world premiering on February 14.