The film, directed by Oscar-winning American documentarian Morgan Neville is a unique cinematic experience that invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon, all told through the lens of LEGO® animation. 

Let’s face it, Pharrell Williams is unique. So it is only befitting of his iconic personality and look that he should be featured in a documentary that does things a bit differently. In the upcoming Piece by Piece, filmmaker Morgan Neville tells his story using our childhood favorite building blocks, LEGOs. And hybrid documentaries being the hot thing of the decade, I believe the film will be a winning way to close what promises to be another sublime BFI London Film Festival, under the direction of Kristy Matheson.

While I’d seen Williams here and there, on the small screen and throughout online publications, as well as listened to his catchy tune ‘Happy’, I think the moment I realized what a cultural legend he is was when he walked the Chanel's Métiers d'Art show in Paris in 2016. Confident, fresh faced and utterly elegant, he sported the look above designed by the late Karl Lagerfeld, then Chanel’s creative director.

Directed by Academy Award® winning documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom), Piece by Piece is a documentary like no other. A hugely inventive film, this animated biopic explores the life and work of Williams in a medium that Williams himself suggested in early conversations with the director, who describes the choice of LEGO® animation as a metaphor for how Williams see the world – in groundbreaking and deeply creative ways. 

Featuring a star-studded cast rendered in LEGO® alongside Williams, including Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani, Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg, Piece by Piece charts the cultural phenomenon that is Williams, from humble beginnings in Virginia Beach and his early career as a producer in The Neptunes and performer in N.E.R.D., to become one of the most prolific and successful artists working today.  

Neville, apart from his Oscar-winning 2013 film 20 Feet from Stardom also brought audiences other insightful documentaries like the 2018 Mr. Rogers story, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Plus the 2015 film Keith Richards: Under the Influence and in 2021, Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain, featuring the story of the late celebrity chef who committed suicide in 2018.

As far as Williams goes, recently he joined the maison of Louis Vuitton as Men’s creative director and his first collection was revealed in June of 2023 during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris. There is no other artist who so easily bridges style and music, using his celebrity status to reinvent himself, but also keep his fans engaged.

Hailing from the picturesque oceanside town of Virginia Beach in Virginia, USA, Pharrell’s career as a performer has only been surpassed by his ventures as a music producer and entrepreneur. To date, Williams has won 13 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical (one as a member of the Neptunes). He is also a two-time Academy Award nominee: in 2014 for Best Original Song for ‘Happy’, which featured on the soundtrack of the animated film Despicable Me 2; and in 2017 for Best Picture as a producer of Hidden Figures. As sole proprietor, he founded the multi-disciplinary media company I Am Other in 2014, which acts as both a record label and creative umbrella for his other endeavors, including his fashion label and retailer, Billionaire Boys Club.

About Piece by Piece being chosen as the Closing Night Gala film, Morgan Neville said: "The BFI London Film Festival has been supportive of my career for a long time, with my first time screening there being over twenty years ago. Bringing Piece by Piece to the LFF means the world to me, and getting to be the closing night gala is the cherry on top of this huge honor. I’m thrilled to celebrate this film with the London audience.” 

Kristy Matheson, the BFI London Film Festival Director, added: “Piece by Piece is a film of enormous joy and invention. In telling the story of Pharrell Williams, entirely in LEGO®, acclaimed documentarian Morgan Neville brings a sense of wonder to this story that matches the creativity and verve of his subject. This is a must for fans and will charm the uninitiated alike, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Piece by Piece to close this year’s BFI London Film Festival.” 

Piece by Piece will close the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday 20 October at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, with the Festival’s 9 UK-wide partner venues screening the film simultaneously.  It will be released in UK cinemas on November 8th. 

This year’s BFI London Film Festival will run from Wednesday 9 October – Sunday 20 October, 2024. 

All images used with permission.