This new film is set to revitalise independent cinema

Max Richter’s Sleep, a documentary telling the story behind the composer’s work, is premiering in Europe.

Described as “My personal lullaby for a frenetic world. A manifesto for a slower pace of existence” by Max Richter, the film shows in more than 87 UK and Irish cinemas from September 11, having debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim.

Creative partner and producer of Sleep, Yulia Mahr said: “Max and I spent most of our twenties watching films at the Everyman in Hampstead, the Curzon cinemas and any independent cinema we could get to.

"We spent our thirties at The Filmhouse and The Cameo in Edinburgh.

“We were hungry to know more of the world and there it was ... we loved those all-day Sunday screenings ... and would argue into the night about the meaning of everything we had seen.

“Max’s favourites were the Russians, Tarkovsky, of course. And I loved the French New Wave, especially Jean Rouch, and the Indie scene coming out of America at the time.

“Nothing beats cinema - that immersive experience of being engulfed in a world not your own. It’s under threat these days but home viewing, where your everyday world is still right there beside you, doesn’t cut it.

“I’m delighted that our film can play a small part in getting audiences back into independent cinemas. We all need more dream time.”

A film for these frenetic times, Max Richter’s Sleep is a meditative respite from the rush and chaos of the modern world, and a study of the universal experience of sleep.