Tina Turner: The Queen of Rock'n'Roll's Untold Story

On paper, Tina Turner probably should never have become a rock-and-roll superstar. But there she is anyway, one of the greatest survivors in modern music, who has overcome extreme adversity to define her career, her identity and her legacy on her own terms. 

TINA (2021) offers a fresh perspective on the life and career of Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock and Roll. Through never-before-seen footage and previously unreleased recordings, the film draws back the curtain on Tina's life, introducing us to a private side of Tina too often hidden from the cameras. 

We are honoured to be joined by the Oscar- and Emmy-winning producers of TINA, cousins Simon and Jonathan Chinn, the co-founders of Lightbox. Between them they have worked on such acclaimed documentaries as Searching for Sugarman (2012), Man on Wire (2008), LA 92 (2017), and Whitney (2018).

Simon and Jonathan talk about how they discovered new ways of telling Tina's story, the revelations that they uncovered about Tina while making the film and what it takes to make a great documentary.   

Directed by Academy Award-winners Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin, TINA is being released on March 27th on HBO and streaming on HBO Max in the US, and in the UK on 28th March at 9:00PM on Sky Documentaries and NOW and via altitude.film.  

“What an incredible trailblazer of a performer Tina was, even before her solo success. Seeing the full trajectory of her career as a performer is, in some sense, a revelation.” - Jonathan Chinn    

  Time Stamps:

00:25 - The trailer for TINA, and introducing our guests, producers Simon and Jonathan Chinn. 
04:00 - The challenge of telling Tina Turner’s story in a new way.
05:23 - The synopsis of the film.
08:36 - The new and fresh insights this film offers about Tina Turner.
12:16 - The importance of Buddhism in Tina’s life.
15:00 - Her struggles after leaving Ike Turner and before she made it big as a solo act.
18:35 - Tina Turner as a trailblazer in the music industry of the 1980s.
23:45 - Tina’s connection with London, and why many musicians have moved to the UK.
27:40 - Why the film was made, and how directors Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin got involved. 
34:15 - The script and structure of TINA, and the archival material used.
38:00 - The never-before-seen footage from Ike and Tina’s house.
43:10 - What it takes to make a great documentary film.
47:30 - Why winning an Oscar is not just about the quality of the film.
49:13 - Advice for young film directors.
50:06 - The next projects that Simon and Jonathan are working on.

Resources: 

TINA (2021) 
Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
LA '92 (2017)
Lightbox
Careers in Film 
This is Distorted
Alamo Pictures 

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Connect with Jonathan Chinn:
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