David Farnor | On 11, Apr 2015

Update 7 May: Trailer added

Netflix has nabbed the rights to a documentary about Grateful Dead singer Bob Weir.

The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir, which is directed by Mike Fleiss (The Bachelor), chronicles Weir’s journey from Palo Alto youth to global success as a member of the popular band. With a special emphasis on his brotherhood with Jerry Garcia, the movie features interviews with bandmates, colleagues, fans, family and Bob Weir himself, as well as musical performances and archival footage.

“We certainly unearthed a lot of buried treasure from the Grateful Dead archive while making this film,” says filmmaker, Mike Fleiss. “With Netflix, we have found the perfect global partner to tell the fascinating life story of Bob Weir set against the backdrop of America’s greatest rock band.”

The Netflix original documentary made its debut at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 2014 San Francisco International Film Festival. It continues the streaming company’s tradition of acquiring documentary films that have won awards at festivals, building up a collection of original non-fiction features that includes two Oscar nominees: The Square and Virunga.

“Mike Fleiss was given unprecedented access to create an intimate and compelling film about one of the most prolific, respected and beloved musicians of our time,” says Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentary and Comedy. “We are proud to bring Bob’s story to his fans around the world on the eve of the Dead’s final shows at Soldier Field in Chicago.”

The film will premiere exclusively on the VOD service on Friday 22nd May.

Here’s the trailer:

For a list of what’s coming soon to Netflix UK, click here.

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