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French Institute
SAT 5/7 10.30 p.m.
WED 9/7 6.30 p.m.
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Title
A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman
Directors
Bill Jones
Jeff Simpson
Ben Timlett
Country
United Kingdom




Cast
Graham Chapman
John Cleese
Terry Jones
Michael Palin
Stephen Fry
Cameron Diaz
Tom Hollander
Production
Brainstorm Media
Distribution
Nostromo Pictures
Genre
Comedy
Duration
85'
Year
2012
Festivals
Toronto, London, Tokyo, Turin, Gothenburg, Rotterdam, Sydney (Mardi-Gras), Munich, San Sebastian, MIX Copenhagen
First showing in
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OFFICIAL SECTION: DOCUMENTARIES
A Liar's Autobiography
Graham Chapman (1941-1989) was one of the original six members of Monty Python. We all know the hilarious humour of this extraordinary group of actors, writers and filmmakers who began working together during the late sixties, and some of the more famous films they made together, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life. Other titles include those where a member has gone on to star or direct as well, including, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and A Fish Called Wanda.

Less known is the personal story of Chapman: although his colleagues already knew about his homosexuality, he publicly came out of the closet in 1967 and was one of the first public figures to take that step in the UK. He actively participated in defending gay rights and his partner of 20 years was writer, David Sherlock. Together, they adopted a teenager who had run away from home. In the early eighties, Chapman published A Liar's Autobiography, Volume VI (don't look for other volumes: they don't exist), co-written with his partner and other friends. The film version of those comic memories was made with the active (and always hilarious) participation of his former colleagues, and comes with an extremely original format: the film mixes several animation techniques to form a hilarious collage produced by 14 different studios. With archival footage, the most important moments in the life of Chapman are recreated through these animation techniques, the voices of his friends, and guest stars such as Stephen Fry and Cameron Diaz.