Project Detail

Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation

Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation

Synopsis

Exploring how the legacy of Jack Kerouac’s seminal novel 'On the Road' reflects in today’s America. The film interweaves stories of contemporary “on-the-roaders”, modern travellers and cultural figures including Josh Brolin, W. Kamau Bell and Natalie Merchant, who reveal how Kerouac’s quest for authentic experience resonates powerfully in our screen-saturated era - offering a lyrical meditation on what it means to truly experience the journey.
Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2025 - World premiere
Official Selection Locarno Film Festival 2025 - European premiere

Details

Year
2025
Type of project
Features
Running time
91 min
Format
4K
Director
Ebs Burnough
Producer
Eliza Hindmarch, John Battsek, Ebs Burnough
Executive Producer
Helen Parker, Johnny Fewings, Kerstin Emhoff, Ali Brown, Jim Sampas
Editor
Paul Trewartha
Screenwriter
Eliza Hindmarch
Director of Photography
Tim Cragg
Composer
John Forté
Principal cast
With contributions from: W. Kamau Bell, Josh Brolin, Matt Dillon, Natalie Merchant, Ann Charters, David Amram, Jay McInerney, Kim Jones, Jean-Christophe Cloutier, Joyce Johnson, Diana Langley, Tenaj Melendras, Faustino Melendras, Amir Staten, Angel Staten, Karlynne Staten
Narrator
Michael Imperioli

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

UK, US co-production

Universal Pictures Content Group (UK), Ventureland (US)

Universal Pictures Content Group

Central Saint Giles
St Giles High Street
London
WC2H 8AG

Sales Company

Universal Pictures Content Group

Central Saint Giles
St Giles High Street
London
WC2H 8AG

Page updates

This page was last updated on 4th August 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

The Capote Tapes The Capote Tapes

Director: Ebs Burnough

Year: 2019

'Answered Prayers' was meant to be Truman Capote's greatest masterpiece, an epic portrait of NYC's glittering jet-set society. Instead, it sparked his downfall. Through never before heard audio archive and interviews with Capote's friends and enemies, this intimate documentary reveals the rise and fall of America's most iconic gay writer. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2019 - TIFF Docs - World premiere

Mr. Nobody Against Putin Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Director: David Borenstein (director), Pavel Talankin (co-director)

Year: 2025

A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school's transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarization. Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2025 - World premiere Official Selection CPH DOX 2025 Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2025 BAFTA Awards 2026 - Winner - Best Documentary Academy Awards 2026 - Winner - Best Documentary Feature

A Few Moments of Happiness (Quelques instants de bonheur) A Few Moments of Happiness (Quelques instants de bonheur)

Director: Shaden Safieddine Tazi

Year: 2026

A young Lebanese filmmaker in Paris watches Lebanon's war unfold on her phone from bed. In a state of paralysis, barely able to get out of bed, she calls her father everyday and begins recording her digital life. Using screen recordings, family voices, and silences, the film intimately portrays a generation witnessing their homeland's destruction remotely. Official Selection Venice International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere