Joe Meek film screenings

Everyone's favourite eccentric, maverick 1960s songwriter-producer Joe Meek has two biographical films hitting our screens shortly. Here is the lowdown on the films and some preview screenings.

Telstar: The Movie is the Nick Moran-directed film adaptation of the James Hicks play of the same name. It stars Con O'Neill as Meek, Kevin Spacey as his financier, Carl Barat (ex-Libertines) as Gene Vincent, and Justin Hawkins (ex-Darkness) as Lord Sutch. It is set for release before Christmas, but you can see it first at The Times BFI London Film Festival on the 25th or 28th of October. Tickets are on general sale on the 27th of this month from here.

Meanwhile A Life In The Death of Joe Meek is an independant American documentary by Howard Berger and Susan Stahmann. The production includes over 60 interviews with Meek's family, friends, associates, friends, and musicians. Expect to see Edwyn Collins, Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand), Liam Watson (Toe Rag), and Simon Napier-Bell give their thoughts in front of camera. Having been premiered earlier this year you can now see it at the Cambridge Junction on the 23rd September (tickets are available here), or at the Raindance Film Festival in London on the 4th of October (tickets available here). The documentary has its own Myspace page here .