“Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party,” a 1983 documentary directed by Cameron Crowe, will play in theaters globally for the first time this October.
According to a press release, the lost documentary will screen in cinemas around the world on Oct. 17 and 20 for what would have been musician Tom Petty’s 74th birthday (Petty passed away in 2017).
The documentary follows the rock and roll band in 1982-83 as they finish, promote and tour around their “Long After Dark” album.
While Crowe’s feature debut was 1989’s “Say Anything,” this documentary was actually Crowe’s first outing as a director. According to Crowe, the film was pulled from the airwaves after playing on MTV just one time. He went on to win an Academy Award and direct movies like “Almost Famous” and “Jerry Maguire.”
“‘Heartbreakers Beach Party’ occupies a special place in my heart,” Crowe said in the release. “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers leaned into the making of the film with a kind of hilarious music-filled honesty that still feels fresh forty years later. It was also my first experience as a director.”
According to the release, theatrical screenings of the film will include an introduction from Crowe and a new 20-minute cut of unreleased outtakes.
