Sky Atlantic will premiere the Johnny Depp fronted documentary on Ralph Steadman, For No Good Reason as part of the new series of Sky Atlantic Documentary Films, as well as the newest documentary from Academy Award winner Errol Morris,  to air on Sky Atlantic in 2014.

 They are the first to be announced in the new raft of documentary feature films; part of the channel’s commitment to telling the greatest stories from around the world, by some of the finest writers, directors and producers at work today.

Johnny Depp will front For No Good Reason, an extraordinary documentary exploring the life and art of his hero, the artist Ralph Steadman who is best known for his work with the Gonzo author Hunter S. Thompson.

The Unknown Known by Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris presents a fascinating portrait of Donald Rumsfeld, the divisive Secretary of Defence and the principal architect of the Iraq War. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the first time a documentary has been nominated for the award.

Customers will be able to watch the films on the channel as well as via Sky’s On Demand services, and through Sky’s multiplatform TV service Sky Go, offering customers greater choice over when, where and how they watch.

Elaine Pyke, Director of Sky Atlantic commented:

“We were delighted with the films that launched our Sky Atlantic Documentary Film season, and our second season looks set to be equally wonderful. As the home of great storytelling, the new films are compelling, challenging and utterly absorbing which to us is at the heart of what makes a great documentary. ”

Celia Taylor, Head of Factual, added:

“Working closely on these commissions, with documentary makers of such great quality, has been a thrilling part of the process for these new films. These are stories that so richly deserve to be told and we are so proud to be able to show them on Sky Atlantic.”

The new films were announced at the Sky Atlantic Documentary Film Festival in London, which showcased the six films from the first season in a one day event of screenings, Q & A sessions and masterclasses with filmmakers. The first season, which features Academy Award nominee Lucy Walker’s The Crash Reel as well as BAFTA winning director Beeban Kidron’s InRealLife, will air on Sky Atlantic HD from 5^th November.

For No Good Reason   

Johnny Depp embarks on a journey through the life and works of Ralph Steadman, one of the most important radical British artists of modern times.  The film is a richly creative look at the power and importance of art to achieve Steadman’s aim "I learnt to draw...to try to change the world". Director Charlie Paul spent 15 years meticulously amassing the footage and creating the remarkable animations for the film to match the same anarchic energy, anger and free spirit of Steadman's pictures. It is riot of stories and images that literally blast out of the screen as we take a trip through the wild and dark days of Steadman’s time and consignments with ‘Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas’ writer Hunter S Thompson, the Rumble in the Jungle and gun fights with literary giant William S Burroughs.

Nominated for Grierson Award, 2012

Directed by Charlie Paul

 

The Unknown Known

Errol Morris (Academy Award-winner for The Fog of War, 2004) secures remarkable access into the ideas, fears and certainties of one of the most powerful men in the world. Morris persuades Rumsfeld to explore and explain his ‘snowflakes,’ the enormous archive of memos he wrote across almost 50 years in Congress, the White House and the Pentagon. The ‘snowflakes’ provide a fascinating insight into the mind of one who transformed America and the landscape of the entire world.

Nominated for Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival 2013

Directed by Errol Morris

Commissioned for Sky by Celia Taylor


The new documentary films for Sky Atlantic form part of Sky’s on-going drive to bring more high-quality, exclusive content to customers and are supported by its commitment to increase investment in home-grown programming to £600 million by 2014, an increase of more than 50% over three years.

For further information please contact

Manisha Ferdinand - Head of Sky Arts and Sky Movies PR, Sky Press Office
T: 0207 032 2842
E: manisha.ferdinand@bskyb.com

Notes to editor

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