Rogan tracks David Bowie’s final creative push

Rogan Productions is marking a decade since the death of David Bowie in an upcoming feature doc for Channel 4.

90-minute David Bowie: The Final Act (w/t) will exploring the final creative chapter of one of music’s most iconic and innovative artists, with the release of his final album. It returns to the 1990s, a turbulent time for Bowie, when he contended with a changing industry, scathing critics and his star on the wane.

But out of that creative difficulty, he pushed forward with a triumphant set on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, confronting his roots in suburban South London, foreseeing the internet age and producing his final record Blackstar.

The doc will feature rare interviews with those who knew and worked with him, as well as famous fans and figures inspired by his artistry.

It will also examine the strategy behind his artistic resurrection and the extraordinary creativity that defined his final decade act.

Rogan previously produced Freddie Mercury: The Final Act and Abba: Against the Odds, both for BBC and is behind upcoming C4 series Free Nelson Mandela.

David Bowie: The Final Act (w/t) is a co-pro with WDR/BR/Arte, DR and NTR, in association with Dogwoof, which is handling sales. It was commissioned for C4 by Shaminder Nahal, head of specialist factual and is exec produced by James Rogan and Jan Younghusband, with Dan Hall producing and Jonathan Stiasny directing.

Nahal said: “Bowie was one of those rare artists whose imagination never dimmed. This film reveals how, when faced with the end, he found ways to push boundaries and create something transcendent.”

Stiasny added: “The traditional music documentary celebrates triumph. What fascinated me most when making this film was how Bowie’s final chapter wasn’t an ending, it was a resurrection. He transformed failure into triumph, silence into revelation, and ultimately, death into art.”