Control

Ian Curtis has aspirations beyond the trappings of small town life in 1970’s England. Wanting to emulate his musical heroes, such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop, he joins a band, and his musical ambition begins to thrive. Soon though, the everyday fears and emotions, that fuel his music, slowly begin to eat away at him. Married young, with a daughter, he is distracted from his family commitments by a new love and the growing expectations of his band, Joy Division. The strain manifests itself in his health. With epilepsy adding to his guilt and depression, desperation takes hold. Surrendering to the weight on his shoulders, Ian’s tortured soul consumes him.

Control is Anton Corbijn’s first feature film. It is one of his most ambitious projects to date and a further testament to his versatile artistic career. The subjects of Ian Curtis and Joy Division are very close to Anton’s heart as the Manchester band was the reason that he moved from Holland to London to “be closer to where their music came from.”

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ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

It has been over 30 years since Anton Corbijn, born 1955 in Strijen, Holland, discovered photography through his love of music while still at high school. Using his father’s camera to take his first photos at an open-air concert in 1972, stage photography quickly developed into portraiture. Anton Corbijn has lived in London since 1979 and is today widely regarded as one of the most influential portrait photographers in the world.

Anton Corbijn’s exhibitions have been extremely successful throughout Europe and his work can be seen in museums, galleries and in 14 published books. In addition, his work can be seen on around 100 record/CD sleeves for artists including U2, R.E.M., Travis, Morrissey, The Rolling Stones, John Lee Hooker, Marianne Faithfull and Metallica. He has directed approximately 80 music videos for, among others, U2, Johnny Cash, Mercury Rev, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica, Nick Cave and The Killers.