A new 100 minute theatrical documentary, Delorean: Back From The Future explores the rise and fall of automaker John Z. DeLorean and his doomed attempt to build the car of the future in 1980s war-torn Belfast.
The show is scheduled to air this Wednesday, January 27th at 9 pm on BBC Two, with BBC Northern Ireland scheduled to transmit a 2 x 60-minute series at a later date. Produced by Fired Up Films and made with funding from Northern Ireland Screen; an SVOD platform has already acquired global rights.
An archive rich, in-depth profile explores how DeLorean rose from the ghettos of Detroit to build his American dream in Northern Ireland – funded by £84million of British taxpayers money – and how a fairy-tale all went horribly wrong, through a trail of corporate waste, greed, and fraud that ended up in an FBI cocaine-trafficking sting.
The project combines testimonies and first-hand witnesses from family members, colleagues, workers, journalists, and colourful news footage documenting his life and career. For the first time in 40 years, ex-wife and fashion model, Cristina Ferrare gives an insider’s account about her time with DeLorean and the dramatic collapse of his company.
The producers secured an exclusive deal with PH Films in New York to use never before seen footage filmed by Oscar-winning directors DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, who were given unprecedented access to DeLorean at the time.
“This psychological study aims to get inside the mind of John DeLorean, to truly understand who he was and just how far a man will go to save his career,” said Jon-Barrie Waddell, Executive Producer at Fired Up Films. “It’s a fascinating human story of ambition and greed, and how the car of the future goes up in smoke.”
Executive Producers for Fired Up Films are Jon-Barrie Waddell and Jon Smith. The director is Mike Connolly. Daisy Scalchi and Justin Binding are commissioning executives for BBC Two and BBC Northern Ireland, respectively.
Delorean: Back From The Future air this Wednesday, January 27th at 9 pm on BBC Two.