KILLING BONO: U2 CAN HAVE A FILM MADE ABOUT YOU

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3:
3pm:
It started with a book: I Was Bono’s Doppelganger. It ended in Killing Bono, a title suggested by the U2 lead singer himself, for a movie that is ready to take the world by storm. But what are the challenges of making films about real characters – including the biggest rock band in the world? What is it like to have your identity stolen, to be be turned into a fictional character? And how do you write music now for a band back then that believed it was ready to take on the world?

JOE ECHO (Musician)
Neil McCormick (Journalist/author)
NICK HAMM (Director)
JOE ECHO:
Formerly frontman with the highly regarded Northern outfit Laya, Joe Echo’s increasingly impressive CV also includes sharing a Hyde Park stage with Paul McCartney, scoring a Grammy Award nomination for his writing part in Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ and writing, recording and producing all the original songs for Killing Bono, Neil McCormick’s memoir of his years in school with the U2 frontman.
NEIL MCCORMICK:Neil McCorkmick is one of the UK’s leading music journalists. He was art director of Hot Press for five years, and wrote extensively for the magazine, before moving to London in 1983. A musician and songwriter, he had a parallel career in a number of bands. He is currently the head music critic for The Daily Telegraph. His best selling memoir, I was Bono’s Doppelganger, will hit the big screen as Killing Bono in 2011.
NICK HAMM:
BAFTA Award winning director Nick Hamm was born in Belfast. A vital figure in British theatre for many years, he started his career as resident director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. As a film man, he has directed several acclaimed series for the BBC as well as the cult movie The Hole. Hamm is also the man behind the screen adaptation of Neil McCormick’s memoir, filmed as Killing Bono, and due for release here in 2011.