Hollywood documentary about Dundee funk band in production

Commemorating five decades since ‘Pick Up the Pieces’ was released, the project is going under the working title of ‘Average White Band: Soul Searching’ and is set to be directed by Anthony Baxter. Others involved in the project included four-time Oscar-nominated Kartemquin Films, Bulletproof producer Vertigo Films, and former Channel 4 entertainment boss Stuart Cosgrove.

The news was first revealed by American entertainment outlet, Deadline. Reports suggest Sky, Warner Music Entertainment, and Screen Scotland will collaborate to make a documentary about the Scottish band.

Jack Oliver, Sky’s co-production boss, told Deadline: “Sky Arts audiences love great music docs with a layered story, so the opportunity to board this feature doc on the funkadelic Average White Band was simply too good to be true,”

“Director Anthony Baxter has an ambitious vision for the piece and assembled great co-production partners to the project.”

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The legendary funk and soul band from Dundee performed their last ever gigs in Scotland in May this year with four dates in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Perth.

Founding members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre still fronted the band in the formidable line-up – which included some of America’s finest soul musicians and soloists. 

The new film is set to use archival footage and combine it with fresh interviews to document the band’s trajectory in the 70s.

The director of the project, Anthony Baxter, is known for his work on another documentary titled Eye of the Storm, which follows pioneering landscape artist James Morrison as he struggles with completing one last work of art as his sight deteriorates.

The Eye of the Storm earned him a BAFTA Scotland nomination, while his 2011 feature, You’ve Been Trumped about Donald Trump, won awards at the Sheffield, Hamptons, Denver and Sedona International Film Festivals.

Artistic Director at Kartemquin Films, Stacey Robinson added: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Director, Anthony Baxter on this film. Average White Band isn’t just a band, it’s a testament to the cultural crossroads where soul, funk, and rhythm resonate across generations, continents, and race.”