Beangrowers land song on Wim Wenders movie

[tamarisk]

by di-ve.com

Sunday, 19 September, 2004

At the Venezia Film Festival held last week, one of the movies competing for the ''Leone d'Oro' included a song by none other than local band Beangrowers. The film in question is 'Land of Plenty' by the critically acclaimed and award-winning director Wim Wenders, best known for directing such films as Buena Vista Social Club, Wings of Desire, Alice in the Cities, and The Million Dollar Hotel.

The Beangrowers track, entitled 'The Priest' is from their forthcoming third album. The film's soundtrack, distributed by Sony, also includes tracks from David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Travis.

Commenting on this acheivement, Beangrowers singer Alison Galea stated: "We are very honoured to have been chosen by Wim Wenders to play a small but prestigious part in his latest work and to be included in the soundtrack. We're looking forward to watching the film at the cinema, waiting for that moment when our song will be heard. It's going to be so exciting!"

Wim Wenders' career spans well over 30 years. In 1984, he won the Cannes Palme D'Or for Best Film with 'Paris, Texas'.

Wenders has a long-standing passion for rock music. Says Wenders: 'My life was saved by Rock 'n Roll. It was this music that for the very first time in my life gave me a feeling of identity, the feeling that I had a right to enjoy, to imagine, and to do something. Had it not been for Rock'n Roll, I might be a lawyer now.'.

He has worked with musical greats such as U2, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Ry Cooder, Daniel Lanois, Willie Nelson and Ronnee Blakley. Wim Wenders and U2 have collaborated many times - he shot a video for their contribution to the AIDS benefit album 'Red Hot and Blue', while they've contributed songs to his film 'The Million Dollar Hotel', for which Bono also wrote the story, after being inspired by a hotel in downtown L.A. during the filming of a music video.

Making its premier at the Venezia Film Festival, 'Land of Plenty' is a portrait of a post-9/11 America gripped by paranoia and poverty.

The German director's scathing film tells the story of a troubled Vietnam veteran obsessed with protecting the United States in the wake of the attacks and of a young religious missionary who works in the slums of Los Angeles.

'Land of Plenty' is not in any way an anti-American film," Wenders says about his movie. "It is a film that tries to deal with a lot of confusion and pain and paranoia." As a European outsider living in America he wanted to show how its values were being perverted and abused.

But when pressed about what the reaction would be in the States, Wenders told Corriere della Sera newspaper: "Well, what do you want? Bush has convinced everyone that those who don't agree with him are anti-American."

"The film is based on the hope that truth is not an altogether lost notion in today's political and social realities. Even in America, even in 2004," Wenders said.

At the moment, Beangrowers are putting the finishing touches to their third album, entitled 'Dance Dance Baby' which will be released by the end of the year. On Friday 24 Septemebr they will be playing a concert ai Poxx Bar, while,on Thursday 30 they will be at the Lowenbrau Oktoberfest.

More info on www.beangrowers.net

Pictures from the movie here: www.ocean-films.com/landofplenty/photos.htm