Summer Season Opening Night

Winner of the 2011 Sundance World Cinema Audience Award

Senna’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection, and the mythical status he has since attained, is the subject of SENNA, a documentary feature that spans the racing legend’s years as an F1 driver, from his opening season in 1984 to his untimely death a decade later. Far more than a film for F1 fans, SENNA unfolds a remarkable story in a remarkable manner, eschewing many standard documentary techniques in favour of a more cinematic approach that makes full use of astounding footage, much of which is drawn from F1 archives and is previously unseen.

Directed by two times BAFTA winner Asif Kapadia, SENNA is made with the full co-operation of Ayrton Senna’s family, who gave permission for this to be the first documentary feature film about his life; Formula One, who gave permission to use previously unseen footage; and the Ayrton Senna Institute, the charitable foundation established after his death, which provides educational opportunities to millions of deprived Brazilian children.

This screening will include a Q&A with Autosport journalist Tom O’Keefe who covers the business and history of Forumula One racing. He recently worked as a consultant on the recent re-mastering of John Frankenheimer’s Oscar-winner GRAND PRIX (1967), the only film about Formula One until SENNA.