Filmmaker and iconic music video director Anton Corbijn is turning his camera on the most recognizable album covers of all time.
From the director of “Control” and classic New Wave music videos from the likes of Depeche Mode and Joy Division, “Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)” charts the legacy of the design studio behind iconic rock imagery like Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album cover. IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film below.
“Squaring the Circle” captures the story behind co-founders Aubrey “Po” Powell and late visionary Storm Thorgerson, the creative geniuses behind the London-based iconic album art design studio, Hipgnosis. As Hipgnosis, the pair were responsible for some of the most recognizable album covers of all time, including “Dark Side of the Moon,” Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Band on the Run” and Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy,” all celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year. While Storm and Po never played a note, they certainly changed how we see music.
“Squaring the Circle” includes interviews with Hipgnosis co-founder Powell, along with detailed stories from musicians like Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, and Noel Gallagher. Trish D. Chetty serves as writer and producer, along with Colin Firth and Ged Doherty. Nick Angel, George Chignell, and Andrew Hulme are among the executive producers. Martijn Van Broekhuizen (The 1975’s “Settle Down”) serves as the cinematographer.
Dutch director Corbijn previously helmed Joy Division’s Ian Curtis biopic “Control” and music videos for Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence,” U2’s “One,” Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” and Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida.” Corbijn served as the creative director behind the respective visual outputs of Depeche Mode and U2, handling the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both bands over three decades. He also helmed feature films “The American” starring George Clooney and “A Most Wanted Man,” marking Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final role.
Upon the film’s Telluride premiere, IndieWire’s Christian Blauvelt noted Corbijn’s use of animation and “strong journalistic chops” in capturing a moment in time for rock and roll history. “These interviews are great,” Blauvelt wrote in his review. “There’s something hope-giving about all these stories, especially in this time when artists continually have to place limits on themselves.”
“Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)” premieres June 7 at the Film Forum in New York from Utopia ahead of a nationwide rollout. Check out the trailer below.
