For over four decades, actor and artist Val Kilmer has been filming himself, even as he navigated his rise to Hollywood stardom in the ’80s and ’90s. Now, that footage will be seen in the first time in the new documentary, Val, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo. In an interesting twist, the documentary is produced by A24 Films as part of the studio’s new foray into non-fiction films, and it’s already been picked up by Amazon Studios for a 2021 release.
“At least once a day for years I looked around and got this bittersweet feeling that there are a thousand reasons that this project could’ve been shipwrecked,” Kilmer said in a statement announcing the Amazon acquisition. “I mean, what could a film look like of a man filming himself, sometimes daily, years at a time? It is unimaginable that this movie actually could’ve ever come to light without the partnership of my dear friends, Leo and Ting, and my producing partners. Tireless hours of editing and endless emotions with each new cut! I couldn’t be more proud to share this with the world!”
Here’s the official synopsis:
For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood’s most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies like Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.
Val will stream later this year on Amazon.