Notting Hill Film Festival 2009

Bananaz: Taking Down the Virtual Walls of Gorillaz 'makes Goodfellas look like a gangster movie'. In the late 1990's Jamie Hewlett met Damon Albarn and the concept of Gorillaz was born. At the birth of the project, film maker Ceri Levy set about documenting this undertaking. The result is Bananaz, 91 minutes inside the remarkable real world of Gorillaz - ¬the most successful cartoon band ever. The film takes down the virtual walls of Gorillaz. Levy filmed alongside and behind the scenes from 2000 to 2006; from first drawings, animations, music and musicians, through to the faces behind the voices of Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel Hobbs. The result is an unsanitised, free-wheeling documentary film; an intimate, honest and often hilarious account of the working relationship between Albarn and Hewlett. Included are appearances from; Dennis Hopper, De la Soul, Ibrahim Ferrer, Danger Mouse, Dan the Automator, D12, Bootie Brown from The Pharcyde and Neneh Cherry. Bananaz is grateful to have a theatrical screening on it’s brand new 35mm print at the Notting Hill Film Festival.