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Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Competition 2026
© Shane O’Connor 2026 Cowtown Pictures_Hot Property
New York, June 1961. Legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans has found his musical voice and created the perfect trio, including bass player Scott LaFaro, his musical soulmate. A residency at New York’s Village Vanguard culminates in the live taping of two of the greatest jazz records of all time in one day. Only a few days later, LaFaro dies tragically in a car crash. Numb with grief, Evans stops playing for the first time since his childhood. This is the story of what happened next for one of the most influential and gifted figures in 20th century music.
Cutting between Evans’ present and future, his sobriety and intoxication, and his relationships with his family and on/off girlfriend, who shares his taste in music and hard drugs, the film portrays the inner life of a troubled musical genius as he struggles to learn that sometimes an intermission is part of the music.
by Grant Gee (Director), Mark O’Halloran (Screenplay)
with Anders Danielsen Lie, Bill Pullman, Laurie Metcalf, Barry Ward, Valene Kane Ireland / United Kingdom 2026 English 102' Colour & Black/White World premiere

With

  • Anders Danielsen Lie (Bill Evans)
  • Bill Pullman (Harry Evans)
  • Laurie Metcalf (Mary Evans)
  • Barry Ward (Harry Evans Junior)
  • Valene Kane (Ellaine Schultz)

Crew

Director Grant Gee
Screenplay Mark O’Halloran
Cinematography Piers McGrail
Editing Adam Biskupski
Music Roger Goula
Production Design Ellen Kirk
Costumes Kitty Bennett
Make-Up Siobhan Siobhán Harper Ryan
Casting Jessie Frost
Producers Janine Marmot, Alan Maher

Produced by

Cowtown Pictures

Dublin, Ireland

Hot Property

London, United Kingdom

World Sales

Mister Smith Entertainment

London, United Kingdom

Photos

Press Conference

Red Carpet

Grant Gee

© Shane O’Connor

The British documentary director is making his fiction feature debut with Everybody Digs Bill Evans. Before that, The Gold Machine completed his trilogy of documentaries which included Patience (After Sebald) and Innocence of Memories. He is also known for his music documentaries Joy Division and Meeting People is Easy, about the band Radiohead. He regularly collaborates with theatre director Katie Mitchell on projects for renowned European theatres and opera houses and is senior tutor on the Master of Fine Arts course in documentary filmmaking at University College London.

Filmography (Selection)

1998 Meeting People Is Easy; documentary 2007 Joy Division; documentary 2015 Innocence of Memories; documentary 2022 The Gold Machine; documentary 2026 Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026