“I come from the gutter and I am not a compromiser” – these words uttered by McQueen set the stage for the new documentary Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans, directed by Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna. With a wealth of unseen footage, the film promises to give a captivating insight into the production of McQueen’s groundbreaking racing movie Le Mans (1971). Although audiences around the world had a blast watching it, the making of it tainted McQueen’s relationship with motor racing severely. Clarke and McKenna went to extraordinary lengths to track down unseen footage for the documentary, which came from private family collections, super-eight home movies from Paul Blancpain – who was one of the drivers – and out-takes from the movie itself. Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans had its world premiere earlier this year in Cannes, and will soon come to a cinema near you. No doubt, this is a rare treat not to be missed.

Text: Frank Diebel