Story of The Cimarons to travel across Europe
Arte has followed the lead of Sky Arts in picking up music feature doc Harder Than the Rock: The Cimarons Story.
Filmmaker Mark Warmington’s Margot Films is the co-producer with J6 Films of the film, which chronicles the journey of Britain’s first reggae band, The Cimarons. Formed by Jamaican immigrants in a London bus shelter in 1967, the band went on to work with the likes of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Paul McCartney.
The film follows their final chapter who are intent on performing live for the last time, after the loss of drummer Maurice Ellis to cancer.
It will be released in January 2026 via Arte in European French-speaking and German-speaking territories including France, Monaco and Andorra, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg and Switzerland.
The doc is produced by J6 Films’ James Baxter and directed by Warmington. It was one of eight documentaries longlisted for a 2025 Grierson Award in the Arts & Music category this year.
Arte acquisition exec Bastien Perdriau said: “We’re thrilled to bring Harder Than the Rock to our audience, a powerful tribute to the Cimarons’ groundbreaking legacy and their inspiring journey back to the stage.”
Baxter said: “We are delighted this film is now getting a wider European audience. The Cimarons were trailblazers and the first Reggae Band to play in a lot of these European Countries.”
Warmington added: “If ever a band had an excuse to be bitter and resentful of the music industry, I think Cimarons would be top of the list. The way those guys have been exploited is obscene, but they’ve persevered with dedication, humour and, above all, a commitment and love for reggae music.
“This documentary is now going some way to getting them the recognition they deserve.”
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