The highly anticipated Bob Marley documentary premiered last week at the Berlin film festival to loud cheers.
The film by Oscar-winning Scottish filmmaker Kevin McDonald tracks Marley’s journey from a bullied biracial Jamaican boy to a worldwide reggae superstar.
Shortly after the premiere, McDonald told reporters that he is honored to be apart of the cultural power and influence of Bob Marley worldwide
“For me, Bob is really one of the greatest cultural figures of 20th century. I don’t think anyone in popular music has had the same lasting impact that he has,” Macdonald said.
“Anywhere you go in the world, you find his image, his music, his wisdom — literally anywhere you go. So it’s nice to be a small part of that and hopefully to bring to people around the world a sense of who this man was as a human being, not just as the legend, not just as the great icon,” he added.
The two-and-half-hour-long film takes on a compelling chronological approach of Marley’s 1940s childhood living in poverty in the hills of Jamaica after his black mother is abandoned by his white father, Captain Norval Marley.
Making special appearance in the documentary are his widow Rita Marley, who spoke candidly of their time together, and Bunny Wailer, a longtime friend and band member of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Rohan Marley, who was in Berlin for the premiere, said his father was a father not only to his own kids but to many.
“My father told us this: ‘You’re inside the gates, you’re OK. I’m here for the ones outside the gates’,” he said. “Growing up we knew that all children belong to him. We may call him Daddy but we’re just one of the many, you know.”
“Marley” documentary will debut across U.S. theatres on April 20.
