BFI To Release Chloé Raunet’s I Am Weekender

The cult Flowered Up film WEEKENDER directed by WIZ alongside the new documentary I AM WEEKENDER directed by Chloé Raunet is set for a BFI Blu-ray release in June.

Initially banned from mainstream British TV in 1992 for its provocative depiction of drug taking and the euphoric escape from the banal realities of life, WEEKENDER – the film by WIZ for Flowered Up’s 13-minute epic single – is hailed as one of the most innovative music films ever made. A cultural artefact, it has gained genuine cult status and influenced a network of creators across 30 years.

Now this pioneering meditation on the British rave experience is celebrated in I AM WEEKENDER (2022, Heavenly Films), Chloé Raunet’s new documentary about the film’s making, impact and legacy.

with WEEKENDER newly restored in 2K from the original negative. The presentation contains numerous special features including a new audio commentary. The first pressing is strictly limited to 2,000 copies featuring a slipcase, postcard and a 36-page illustrated booklet with new essays by Miranda Sawyer, Adelle Stripe, Des Penney and WIZ.

A lockdown project, Chloé Raunet’s I Am Weekender relied solely on Zoom interviews and WIZ’s personal archive to highlight more diverse voices and lesser-known aspects of Acid House culture. As well as comments from lead actor Lee Whitlock there is co-star Anna Haigh’s first hand female perspective. Quaff Records’ founder Roy ‘The Roach’ Marsh describes the black experience of the early scene. Twenty-seven interviewees include Irvine Welsh, Jeremy Deller, Lynne Ramsay, Bobby Gillespie, Clive Langer, Mark Moore, Róisín Murphy, Annie Nightingale, Shaun Ryder and David Holmes.

Special features on the Blu-ray presentation
-Weekender (1992, 19 mins): the film itself, remastered from the original camera negative and presented in a new 2K restoration
-New audio commentary by director WIZ, recorded and produced by Adam Dunlop
-Rushes Revisited (Adam Dunlop, 2023, 9 mins): four sketches made from unseen rushes featuring previously unheard isolated tracks from the original recordings
-Take It (1991, 4 mins): Flowered Up promotional video directed by WIZ
-Phobia (1990, 4 mins): Flowered Up promotional video directed by Paul Cannell
-It’s On (1990, 4 mins): Flowered Up promotional video directed by Pinko
-Raise (1990, 4 mins): Bocca Juniors promotional video directed by WIZ and featuring Anna Haigh
-Nish (1990, 4 mins): a short film about early acid house culture by WIZ
-Turn It Up! (2023, 27 mins): Chloé Raunet discusses the making of her documentary
-Strictly limited to 2,000 copies featuring a slipcase, postcard and a 36-page illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays by Miranda Sawyer, Adelle Stripe, Des Penney and WIZ

UK / 1992 + 2023 / colour / 131 mins (including extras) / English language with optional subtitles for the Deaf and partial hearing / original aspect ratios / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, Dolby Digital stereo audio (48kHz/24-bit)

I Am Weekender will be released BFI Limited Edition Blu-ray, iTunes and Amazon Prime release on 19th June. [Pre-order/Buy here]