Guggi documentary featuring contributions from Bono, Gavin Friday and Jim Sheridan to be released in Irish cinemas

GUGGI will be released by Wilcard on August 28 and follows the life of the Irish artist with featured contributions from Bono, Gavin Friday and Jim Sheridan.

Dublin-born artist Derek Rowen (Guggi) emerged in the late 1970s as a member of the post-punk band, Virgin Prunes. He left the band in 1984 to pursue being an artist.

Documenting Guggi's creative life over several years, the film "meditates on the necessity of art, exploring how a life shaped by trauma finds meaning through discipline, quietness and creation."

It premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival on February 26 in the Lighthouse Cinema and is now set to be released across Irish cinemas.

"Truthfulness has always been an important ingredient in my work, and I believe it is where all art begins," Guggi said about the documentary. "That was important to me in making this film. I hope it gives people a glimpse into my life and some sense of where my work comes from. I’m deeply honoured that the film will open in Ireland first—where I live and work, my home, and a country I love."

As well as the musicians, the film will feature artist Sean Scully, writer and art critic Kelly Grovier, playwright and artist Mannix Flynn and more.

"From the very beginning, my hope was to make a film that went beyond the story of an artist and explored the deeper human need to create," director Ian Thuillier said. "It's wonderful to have Wildcard bringing GUGGI to Irish cinemas, and I hope audiences leave feeling inspired by Guggi's honesty, resilience and extraordinary body of work."

"As Guggi’s partner, this film began as a personal labour of love, rooted in a deep belief in the man and his story," producer Gabriella Janni said. "I was equally drawn to the context that shaped such a unique artist: the bleak Zeitgeist of 70s and 80s Dublin, the disciplinarian family life and the escape through faith, friendship, music, and humour.

"But more fundamentally, it was about the transformative journey, to use Sean Scully’s words of ‘finding a place of beauty, where you can live’, and the quiet, meditative space between the artist and his work."

GUGGI will be released in cinemas across Ireland on August 28.

There will be a Q&A on the opening night screening in The Irish Film Institute with Guggi, Thuillier and Janni.