James R | On 19, Sep 2019

MUBI will unleash A Dog Called Money in UK cinemas and online this November.

The documentary from award-winning war photographer and filmmaker Seamus Murphy explores the creative inspiration behind PJ Harvey’s ninth studio album.

Harvey is one of the world’s most respected and awarded recording artists. She has released nine critically-acclaimed albums, been nominated for six Grammy Awards, and is the only artist to have received the UK’s prestigious Mercury Music Prize twice. Harvey began collaborating with Murphy in 2011 on her 8th studio album Let England Shake, for which Murphy directed 12 short films.

This new, collage-style documentary charts their travels together in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the US. Throughout their journey, he collects footage and images, while she notes down snatches of the lyrics, which later formed her album, The Hope Six Demolition Project.

Back in London, Harvey inverts these ideas of documentation and scrutiny by inviting the public to observe the album’s recording behind one-way glass during a 5-week installation at London’s Somerset House. The result delves into each track of the album, unearthing the layers of process behind their creation, and the people and places who inspired them. Dreamlike, elliptical and intimate, the film provides a stunning portrait of Harvey’s creative process – and unprecedented access to an enigmatic musical icon.

The film also features performances from John Parish, Terry Edwards, Kenrick Rowe, Enrico Gabrielli, Mike Smith, Alessandro Stefana, James Johnston, Alain Johannes, Adam ‘Cecil’ Bartlett, Flood, Jean-Marc Butty, Mick Harvey, and Linton Kwesi Johnson.

After premiering at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, MUBI will release the film in UK cinemas and on the subscription streaming service on Friday 8th November.

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