Lost in La Mancha

Synopsis

A tantalizing documentary as hilarious as it is tragic, the critically acclaimed theatrical hit LOST IN LA MANCHA tracks maverick filmmaker Terry Gilliam’s madcap mission to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. As he struggles to complete his masterpiece, he and his cast and crew are beset by obstacles more catastrophic than anything Hollywood could have imagined.

With an all-star cast featuring Johnny Depp (Chocolat, Donnie Brasco), and one of cinema’s most daring directors at the helm (Brazil, 12 Monkeys), Gilliam’s larger-than-life project seems destined for success. And yet in the blink of an eye, Gilliam’s fanciful dream turns into a filmmaker’s nightmare as a limited budget, the deafening roar of F-16s flying overhead, and a hailstorm straight from the Bible all conspire to halt the film’s production. Capturing this mayhem on camera, filmmakers Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe were granted unlimited, behind-the-scenes access to Gilliam’s frantic but inspired creation. With Jeff Bridges as narrator (The Big Lebowski), they include surviving footage from the film and intimate interviews with an infectiously energetic Gilliam, his cast, and his crew to show what must be the only ‘unmaking’ of in the history of cinema.

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Credits

IFC/Quixote Films and Low Key Pictures

Produced by Lucy Darwin

Written and Directed by Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton

Edited by Jacob Bricca

Awards & Festivals

Premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February, 2002

Theatrical release nationally, U.S., and in England

Nominated, British Independent Film Awards 

Nominated, European Prix Arte

Nominated, Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer, 2006 BAFTA Awards

Screened at the Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals, as well as DOCTOBER, the International Documentary Association special Academy Awards qualification screenings

Screened at HOT DOCS in May 2012

  

Reviews

"An extremely entertaining and hilarious presentation of every film director's worst nightmare."
 ~ Woody Allen

..."they have done the next best thing: realizing parts of the script by having Chaim Bianco animate Gilliam's storyboard illustrations. These, and Miriam Cutler's lively Hispanic score, give the docu an upbeat flavor that not only parallels Gilliam's irrepressible optimism, but also make it almost a promo for raising further finance." ~ Derek Elley, Daily Variety

"Throughout all this, Fulton and Pepe prove they have matured as filmmakers since The Hamster Factor. This time they have their own score (an upbeat flamenco circus-type jangle from Miriam Cutler), they have original animated storyboards to fill in the missing "Quixote" footage, and they splice their material together with a sly wit..." ~ "Movie of the Month," by  Kevin Maher, UNCUT