Doc/Fest - Sheffield

From the moment he saw Woody Allen as a young teenager, Bill Hicks knew that he would be a comic who shook people up. However getting allowed out on a school night to do stand-up gigs was not easy in the Southern Baptist Texan community where he was raised. But Hicks persevered and went on to become one of the most respected and groundbreaking comics of his generation. As Hicks evolved his comedy to new levels, he often moved faster than his American audiences, who were quick to find offence. In the UK he discovered a country that loved his critiques of American mainstream society, and became an overnight sensation here, before being struck down at age 32 with pancreatic cancer. In Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas’ homage, Hicks’ comedy partners and immediate family narrate his life story, while we watch, through often dodgy videocam club recordings, a legend in the making.

“The definitive record of one of America's most iconic modern heroes - a fearless voice as relevant today as ever.” - The British Films Catalogue