Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry documentary was 16 years in the making

A new documentary about the life of reggae legend LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY has taken 16 years to make it to the big screen.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Visions of Paradise, which contains intimate and personal footage of Perry throughout the last decade of his career, was originally conceived in 1999 as a drama, but it was put on hold following the scriptwriter’s death.
The following year (00), Perry reached out to German director Volker Schaner during a concert in Berlin and urged him to push ahead with the project, and Schaner spent the next 15 years filming the reggae star for the documentary.
Schaner tells Mojo magazine, “I began to visit him regularly, without a clear plan, just following him with my camera, collecting scenes… After a shoot we often sat, desperate, and said, ‘It’s not working. He is not answering one question, but keeps saying crazy things we won’t be able to use.’ But you just have to be open to following him, leave the traditional interview method and join the happening.”
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Visions of Paradise will be unveiled in London in July (15).