Val Kilmer’s personal home movies to premiere at Cannes Film Festival
The documentary 'Val' is expected to be released in both theaters and on Amazon Prime this fall
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Val Kilmer’s personal home movies have been transformed into a documentary that will premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Throughout his career, the actor has amassed hundreds of hours of film and videotape that were stored in boxes stacked up in a garage, The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Monday. It features footage the 61-year-old made as a child with his brothers Mark and Wesley while growing up in the Los Angeles suburb of Chatsworth.
According to the outlet, Wesley, known as the director among the trio, passed away weeks before Kilmer became the youngest person at the time to be admitted to Juilliard’s acting program at age 17.
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Kilmer continued to film after Wesley’s passing, chronicling numerous pivotal moments in the star’s life, including his time at Juilliard, as well as fathering two children, Mercedes and Jack. The outlet noted that the films also feature behind-the-scenes footage Kilmer shot on movie sets, including "Top Gun," "Batman Forever" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau."
Val Kilmer is also reprising his role as Iceman in "Top Gun: Maverick," which also premieres in theaters this fall. (Photo by EuropaNewswire/Gado/Getty Images )
It wouldn’t be until 2018 when Kilmer was convinced by editors Leo Scott and Ting Poo to use the home movies as the basis of a biographical documentary.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Val," from Amazon Studios and A24, will make its world debut on the Croisette. While Kilmer won’t attend due to health concerns, his children are expected to be there, the outlet shared. His son Jack Kilmer, 26, serves as the film's narrator, speaking as if he were his father.
Kilmer does some speaking, too. His voice has been reduced to a rasp after throat cancer and a tracheotomy.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Val is a very complex and brilliant man with so many layers," Scott told the outlet. "And we wanted to like try to get that feeling of him into the film, from his spirituality to a great sense of humor. We never considered doing it any other way with interviews with third parties. We were very clear on that very early on."
Amazon and A24 are planning a fall release for "Val" in both theaters and on Prime.