An Accidental Studio

Charting the rise of one of Britain's most distinctive film companies, HandMade Films, producer of classics such as Life of Brian, The Long Good Friday and Withnail and I.

Famously started by Beatle George Harrison simply because he wanted to see Monty Python's controversial Life of Brian script realised, HandMade Films went on to become one of British cinema most distinctive and adventurous film companies. An Accidental Studio charts the early years of HandMade as seen through the eyes of the filmmakers and key personnel who started the studio. With unreleased archive interviews and footage with Harrison, exclusive interviews with Sir Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Richard E. Grant, Neil Jordan, and unseen interviews with Bob Hoskins, this documentary explores HandMade’s baptism by fire, the risks it took in producing uniquely crafted intelligent films and the stories that grew up around it.