New York, NY (Top40 Charts) According to reports, 6 months after the unexpected death of 28-year-old Tim Bergling, the superstar DJ otherwise known as Avicii, Levan Tsikurishvili's documentary "Avicii: True Stories" will launch a limited theatrical run. This will qualify the film for Academy Award consideration.
Tsikurishvili followed Bergling for over four years and received virtually unlimited access to the artist as his star ascended. But with a growing following came a grueling schedule for the Swedish DJ, which also resulted in a series of health problems. In 2016, Avicii, at just 26, announced he was retiring from live performances despite becoming one of the world's highest-grossing DJs.
"When you are a talent, you are part of a big machine and that means a lot of problems," Tsikurishvili told yesterday. "Everything is about [becoming] more successful, breaking more records, doing more and more and more. ... People just work their asses off, and that's not healthy. Someone has to say stop [because] maybe, somewhere in there, you're forgetting yourself. I mean, excuse my French, but that's f-ed up."
Tsikurishvili has described the central message of the documentary as such: "That life can look exciting and glamorous on Instagram and social media, but you don't really have any idea what's going on behind that."
"Suddenly you can be alone in this huge industry even though you're very successful," says Tsikurishvili. "There's no system that takes care of talent. There has to be a space for them, because those guys are the ones making us happy at the end of the day with their creations."
Tsikurishvili and spent the last three years of Bergling's life by his side almost every day, collecting over 300 terabytes of footage. "I feel the responsibility to be the messenger, and honor my friend and his legacy," Tsikurishvili says.
Tsikurishvili recently watched the documentary for the first time since the death of his friend, "It was happiness, sadness, anger, everything you can think of," he says. "But at the same time, it felt really good to see him again."
"Avicii: True Stories" will be shown in Los Angeles' Leammle
Music Hall Theatre from Dec. 14 to 20 and New York's Cinema Village from Dec. 21 to 27.
