The British Council invites you to the screening of The Ice King presented by Luc Tremoulet producer of the documentary.
The Ice King is the searing documentary of a lost cultural icon, a story of art, sport, sexuality, and rebellion. Including incredible unseen footage of some of his most remarkable performances and with access to Curry's letters, archive interviews, and interviews with his family, friends and collaborators, this is a portrait of the man who turned ice-skating from a dated sport into an exalted art form. Watch any figure skating and it falls into two possible camps: before and after John Curry. From what was a macho, technical sport whose judges punished deviation blossomed - through John Curry's stubborn beauty - ice-dancing. This was no Holiday on Ice, but a new artistic medium.
After winning gold at the Winter Olympics for a rebelliously balletic routine, Curry saw the world's stages sheeted with ice. Audiences and reviewers alike were enthralled by his genius. But Curry's story is about more than skating. On the night of the final, Curry became the first openly gay Olympian at a time when homosexuality was barely legal. From bullying and prejudice, to relief in the gay underworld, to his untimely death from AIDS, Curry's story dovetails with the experiences of a generation.
Luc Tremoulet:
Luc Tremoulet is a London based documentary maker. Originally French, he moved to the UK 16 years ago to do a Masters degree at Goldsmith college, London and since then has worked for some of the leading British production companies on projects for British and US Broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, PBS, Vice Media, Amazon Prime...) as well as theatrical releases (The Ice King, Maiden, Le Mans 3D). Recent films include following Holocaust survivors and Vietnam War veterans for a PBS documentary and an art series in conjunction with London's Tate Britain exploring some of Britain's most famous landscape paintings.