The concert film George Michael: The Faith Tour, which takes viewers back to the British singer’s first major solo tour, will be released in Bulgarian cinemas on November 13. The film was shot in Paris in 1988, shortly after the huge success of the album Faith.
The world premiere took place in London on October 27, while European screenings began on November 4. The film will be shown in Bulgaria from November 13, and its US and Canadian premiere is scheduled for December 11.
A Recording Believed to Have Been Lost
The footage was shot on May 30 and 31, 1988, during George Michael’s concerts at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris. The filming was done with 14 cameras on 35mm film. For a long time, the material was unavailable to the public, but it has now been restored and remastered for the big screen, including IMAX formats.
The concert film was directed by the singer’s longtime collaborators David Austin and Andy Morahan. In an interview with Music Week, Austin described the album Faith as “a turning point in George’s life” and noted that at the time the performer “boldly asserted his artistic independence.”
Music and Unreleased Archives
Before the concert footage, viewers will see the eight-minute film Finding Faith, directed by Mary McCartney. It includes previously unreleased audio recordings and material from the 1986–1988 period, as well as archival photographs by American photographer Herb Ritts.
The project is accompanied by a concert album featuring 18 previously unreleased live performances, released on November 6. Songs associated with the period of the tour include Faith, Father Figure, I Want Your Sex and Careless Whisper.
The album Faith was released in 1987 and was George Michael’s first solo project after the breakup of Wham! It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, while four of its singles topped the Billboard Hot 100 – Faith, Father Figure, One More Try and Monkey. More than 25 million copies of the album have been sold worldwide.
George Michael, born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, died on December 25, 2016, at the age of 53. In 2023, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Ten years after his death, the archival footage from Paris is once again turning the spotlight on the period when the singer was building his solo career.
Sources: bta.bg, musicweek.com, nme.com