Sky Behind Feature Doc On Iconic British Director David Lean; Embankment Launching Sales At TIFF

By Max Goldbart

EXCLUSIVE: Iconic British director David Lean, whose credits included Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, is being given the feature documentary treatment by Sky, with Embankment Films launching sales at TIFF.

The Barnaby Thompson-directed Epic – The Life & Times of David Lean will profile the double Oscar winner, who helmed some of the most well-respected movies of all time, via never-before-seen archive and contributions from leading film directors. Haunted by the shadow of his dismissive father and his puritan upbringing, Lean was married six times, and he created layered and complex narratives in his work while struggling to find connection and meaning in his personal life. The doc is being made with collaboration from the BFI National Archive, whose Special Collections holds the David Lean paper archive, and with the cooperation of the David Lean Foundation.

Lean, who was knighted in 1984 and died in 1991, was behind the likes of Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago and A Passage to India. He was nominated for seven Oscars and won for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia.

Epic is slated for a winter 2025 release on Sky Arts while Embankment seeks further pre-sales, beginning at TIFF, which starts tomorrow. It is being produced by Embankment and Fragile Films.

Thompson said: “David Lean was a charismatic, but deeply complex man – a flawed human being but a genius behind the camera. At a moment when the future of the theatrical experience feels threatened, it is the perfect time to look at the life and work of the man that created ‘pure cinema’, the big screen epic, and so many of the greatest movies ever made.”

Embankment’s Nick Taussig added that the time is perfect to tackle a doc on Lean, with his “extraordinary body of cinematic work but also his own surprising and complex personal life story.”

Earlier this year, we revealed Embankment was making a Greta Garbo feature doc, again for Sky, with Fremantle taking international sales.