Neil Peart is the focus of Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple, a new documentary from directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn that has unveiled its official trailer ahead of its September 16 world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. A second public screening is scheduled for September 19, followed by its Canadian television and streaming premiere on CBC and CBC Gem on September 23.
McFadyen and Dunn previously directed the acclaimed 2010 documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. This time, however, their attention is centered entirely on Peart, looking beyond his reputation as one of rock’s most influential drummers to explore the private person behind the music.
The film features Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson alongside Stewart Copeland, Danny Carey, Chad Smith and Gavin Harrison. New footage captures the surviving Rush members playing the band’s music with the four drummers as they tackle Peart’s famously demanding parts, placing his musicianship at the heart of the documentary rather than treating his legacy only through interviews.
Dunn has said the film also aims to reveal sides of Peart that audiences rarely saw publicly. Along with his work as Rush’s drummer and principal lyricist, the documentary explores him as a writer, friend and intensely private individual through archival material and personal recollections.
Peart died on January 7, 2020, aged 67, following a three-and-a-half-year battle with glioblastoma. His illness had been kept private, in keeping with a personal life he largely protected throughout his career.
Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple will screen as part of TIFF’s Special Presentations programme at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre on September 16.
