In 1970s Manchester, troubled musician Ian Curtis is on the brink of international fame and fortune as lead singer of the band Joy Division. A husband and father, Curtis begins to feel the strain of his band’s growing success, his crumbling marriage to wife Deborah, and his worsening epilepsy.

The story of Joy Division is given impeccable treatment by auteur Anton Corbijn, who photographed the post-punk band in their heyday. Recalling the minimalist monochrome of Corbijn’s photography, this moody portrait of a doomed star features an electric and uncanny performance by Sam Riley.

The film is part of the Double Feature programme at the British Film Days, evoking Manchester's music and party culture. The program continues after the screening at Gólya with a music video showcase and an event-related party.

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Anton Corbijn, the world-renowned Dutch photographer and director, is a master of visuality who has been shaping the face of pop culture since the 1980s. In the early years of his career, Corbijn captured iconic figures of the music industry, including Joy Division, whose story he reworked in his first feature film, Control (2007). Composed in a black and white visual world, the sensitive and stripped-down film follows the life and tragic fate of Ian Curtis, evoking both the minimalist aesthetic of Corbijn's photographic work and the post-punk mood of his early work.

His films, The American (2010) and A Most Wanted Man (2014), have captivated audiences not only with their tense storytelling but also with their visual richness. Corbijn continues to explore the intersection of human relationships, loneliness and art in his work, while cementing his place among the outstanding figures in contemporary cinema.

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