A must-see film for record lovers, this long-awaited homage to ‘Vinyl’ highlights the thrill of hunting for analog sound
Premiering on TVO at 9 pm ET on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 and streaming on TVO.org, YouTube and Roku, TVO Original Records draws intimate and revealing character portraits of obsessive lovers of vinyl records, showcasing their massive collections of hard-to-find albums and peering into the unique minds that can’t help but curate.
“Many vinyl lovers will see a part of themselves in this documentary, but Records is also about something much deeper, like the rush of finding a rare musical gem that might otherwise go unheard,” says John Ferri, VP of Programming and Content at TVO. “We were delighted to once again work with the legendary Alan Zweig for Records to follow up the cult favourite, Vinyl.”
Directed by Alan Zweig, Records follows his ‘Mirror Trilogy,’ which includes the films Vinyl, I, Curmudgeon and Lovable. Each film features Zweig interviewing himself in a mirror, interrogating his own ideas and thoughts. Zweig calls Vinyl the film that “changed the course of my life,” and its success has endured, with online taste-making magazine Pitchfork calling it one of 20 essential music documentaries.
“A few years ago, I watched a bit of Vinyl and I was struck by how much had changed in my life and my relationship to records—and how little had changed,” says director Alan Zweig. “A lot of people had said to me I should make a sequel to my film, dealing with the so-called ‘vinyl resurgence.’ That didn’t interest me. Looking at how I had changed though, that was a challenge that interested me.”
Records offers in-depth interviews with passionate vinyl collectors, going far beyond the milieu of Vinyl. This TVO Original documentary takes viewers on a fascinating journey into private living rooms and basements to witness countless shelves of records, capturing the tastes of each collector and the music movements represented with each beloved pressing.
Watch TVO Original Records at 9 pm ET on December 7, 2021 and stream it any time afterwards on TVO.org, YouTube and Roku. The documentary will also be rebroadcast on Saturday, December 11 at 9 pm ET and Sunday, December 12 at 10:30 pm ET.
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto offers a sneak peek of TVO Original Records on Monday, December 6, 2021 featuring a post-screening discussion with Zweig in attendance. Hot Docs members can also enjoy an online retrospective of Zweig’s films, including the ‘Mirror Trilogy.’
Get the latest on TVO documentary news and insights by signing up for the forthcoming TVO Docs newsletter at TVO.org/newsletters.