Being Frank

A twisted tale of split personalities, this documentary explores the extraordinary secret life of artist Chris Sievey, best known as his alter ego Frank Sidebottom, the maverick Manchester comedian in a papier mâché head.

Chris Sievey was a songwriter, artist, comedian and wayward genius. A man whose life was a fantastic, subversive piece of performance art. His greatest creation, the mysterious Frank Sidebottom becomes a star – a manic, insane, mercurial star who obscures his own creator – playing at Wembley Stadium, getting his TV show and building an army of fans. Chris grows to resent his creation and descends into alcoholism and bankruptcy, but his genius cannot survive without ‘Being Frank’. So Chris devises a master plan…

“Uncovering the man behind the mask, Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story is a deeply compassionate documentary. Created thanks to the tireless efforts of its filmmakers in sourcing crowdfunding to produce the feature, a communal spirit lingers over the film.” ~Alasdair Bayman, CineVue

“An impressive sift through one of the UK’s weirdest pop-cult phenomena.” ~Dan Jolin, Empire