Project Detail

Songs for While I'm Away

Synopsis

This distinctive, epic, visual, ambitious and celebratory feature documentary, tells the story of how a young black boy from working class 1950s Dublin, became Ireland’s Greatest Rock Star. As lead singer of Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott was a songwriter, a poet, a dreamer, a wildman. He wrote some of the most iconic and extraordinary rock songs the British Isles ever produced, and his rise from humble beginnings - a council estate raised by his grandmother - to sell out stadiums and international stardom, was spectacular and unprecedented.
Told extensively through the words of Phil himself, and focusing on his iconic songs, the film weaves together audiotapes and rare home movies; features rarely and never-before seen archive, magnificent photographs and portraits; celebrates and explores the recollections and stories of those who knew and loved him - his family, his friends, his collaborators, and those inspired by him; deconstructs the songs and the songwriter; features loud and proud the glorious Lizzy performances; all woven in a collage of voice, image, memory and opinion, offering a powerful and definitive insight into the life and work of this iconic rock star.

Details

Year
2020
Type of film
Features
Running time
112 mins
Director
Emer Reynolds
Producer
Alan Maher, John Wallace, Peter Worsley
Editor
Tony Cranstoun
Director of Photography
Kate McCullough
Composer
Ray Harman
Principal cast
Carl Shaaban
Assistant Editor
Jackie Jarvis

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Ireland, UK co-production

A Cowtown Pictures (IE), Eagle Rock Productions (UK) production with support from Universal Music Globe Production, Screen Ireland

Eagle Rock Productions

c/o Eagle Rock Entertainment
Eagle House
22 Armoury Way
London
SW18 1EZ
+44 (0)20 8870 5670 / +44 (0)20 8875 8791 (ext. 510)

Sales Company

Eagle Rock Entertainment

22 Armoury Way
London
SW18 1EZ

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 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.

Spacewoman Spacewoman

Director: Hannah Berryman

Year: 2024

A landmark feature documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle. Eileen’s incredible journey starts with her smalltown beginnings, sees her smash through many glass ceilings, and culminates in four dramatic space shuttle missions, the last being possibly the most dangerous and most important of them all. At its heart the film is the moving human drama of one family, where a mother’s extraordinary career takes us straight to the big philosophical question of what is the level of acceptable risk in human endeavour? This film celebrates Commander Collins’ trailblazing NASA career which opened the way for women to become spacecraft pilots and commanders, and proved a perfect riposte to a previous generation of male astronauts who thought there was no place for women to lead the way in space. Official Selection DOC NYC 2024 - World premiere Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 - European premiere

You Can Call Me Lou You Can Call Me Lou

Director: Georgia Zeta Gkoka

Year: 2025

A personal and transformative story of Louise, an ex-dancer who transitioned in the 1980s. A former member of a dance group called Pyramid Dancers, Louise was part of the legendary London club scene during its most iconic era of the 80s and 90s. Through rare archival footage and Super8mm film, the documentary transports us back to those electric nights, offering an intimate look at how those years shaped Louise's identity and how her love for dance fuelled her journey towards self-acceptance and authenticity. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

A manuscript with blue flowers Daria’s Night Flowers

Director: Maryam Tafakory

Year: 2025

Daria has written her first manuscript about falling in love with a mysterious girl called ‘abi’ [blue]. The night flowers in her garden hide the secrets of a country that has turned love stories into routine crime scenes. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025