The movie that will be screened at the upcoming summer Sundance Film Festival have already been announced. One of them is We Are X, a documentary that tackles the rise, fall, and eventual rebirth of the Japanese rock back X Japan. The film is directed by Stephen Kijak and is slated for its festival screening on Aug. 23.
We Are X is a documentary film about the Japanese band X Japan. The story is told through the accounts of Yoshiki, the band's co-founder, drummer, and leader.
The documentary tells the story of Yoshiki, who led a life of hardship. His father committed suicide when he was still a child. His childhood friend and X Japan co-founder Toshi went into deep with a cult, which led to the eventual breakup of the band in 1997.
More tragedy befell X Japan, as guitarist Hide died of complications while former bassist Taiji died in less than a year after performing again with the band for the first time in 18 years.
We Are X premiered at the Prospector Square Theater on Jan. 23 as part of the 2016 Sundance Festival slate. Following its reception at Sundance, the film was later screened in several spots in Utah.
The film's world premier took place on March 12 at London's Wembley Arena. X Japan was slated to perform at the venue but due to one of its members being diagnosed with a serious illness, the concert was postponed for a full year and has been rescheduled to March 4, 2017.
At Sundance, We Are X won the Special Jury Award for Best Editing while competing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. At the South by Southwest festival, the film also won the Audience Award for Excellence in Title Design.
We Are X has been received well by many film critics for its profound look at the life of a rock band.
