Senna (film)
Encyclopedia
Senna is a 2010 documentary film
that depicts the life and death of Brazilian motor-racing champion, Ayrton Senna
. It is Asif Kapadia
's fourth feature film
as director
, and is produced by ESPN
/Working Title
and distributed by Universal Pictures
/Walt Disney Pictures
. It has received great critical acclaim.
The film begins with Senna's arrival into Formula One
during the 1984 season
, briefly covering his time at Toleman
and Lotus
before concentrating on his career at McLaren
. The documentary concentrates on his time with the British team – namely his rise to global fame – becoming a World Champion, his rivalry with his team mate Alain Prost
, and his political struggles with the then head of FISA
Jean-Marie Balestre
. The film covers the climax of the rivalry during the 1989
and 1990
seasons, when Senna and Prost were involved in controversial clashes which decided the drivers' title.
Following a brief overview of the seasons that followed and the technological domination of the Williams
cars, the documentary reaches its finale as Senna moves to the Grove-based team in 1994
, before covering the events of that year's San Marino Grand Prix
, which saw Senna lose his life
. The film concludes with the Senna family and his close friends from Formula One mourning his loss at his funeral.
In the film, both through home videos provided by the Senna family and from interviews with people that had known him, Senna is presented as sublime, spiritual, on occasion ruthless, as well as private, humble and fiercely patriotic, donating millions to his native Brazil and contemplating a life outside motor racing.
as of November 2011. Dan Jolin of Empire Magazine gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and stated that it is "ambitiously constructed, deeply compelling, thrilling and in no way only for those who like watching cars drive in circles". Daniel Sarath from the online blog Napier's News gave the film 5 stars and called it "a flawless work of cinema that showcases documentary filmmaking at its most exciting". Alex Zane from The Sun gave the film 4 out of 5 and wrote that Senna is "fascinating and profoundly moving". Steve Rose, writing in The Guardian
, also gave the film a 4 out of 5, and praised the fact that "with so much recorded footage of Formula One available, it has been possible to fashion Senna's story as a live action drama rather than a posthumous documentary. We're not so much hearing what happened in the past as seeing it happen before our eyes."
, at the Suzuka Circuit
in Suzuka
, Japan
. The official world première was held at the Cinemark Theatre in Sao Paulo
, Brazil
on November 3, 2010. It was released in Brazil on 12 November 2010 and the UK on 3 June 2011.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that depicts the life and death of Brazilian motor-racing champion, Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
. It is Asif Kapadia
Asif Kapadia
Asif Kapadia is a British filmmaker of Indian descent. He directed several award-winning films, including The Sheep Thief , winner of the 2nd Prize Cinéfondation for Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival, The Warrior , which won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film and Senna , winner of the...
's fourth feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
as director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and is produced by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/Working Title
Working Title Films
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London, UK. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. It produces feature films and several television productions, including films starring comic actor Rowan Atkinson...
and distributed by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
/Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
. It has received great critical acclaim.
The film begins with Senna's arrival into Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
during the 1984 season
1984 Formula One season
The 1984 Formula One season was the 35th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1984 Formula One World Championship for Drivers and the 1984 Fomula One World Championship for Manufacturers which were contested concurrently over a sixteen race series which commenced on March 25,...
, briefly covering his time at Toleman
Toleman
Toleman Motosport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and attended 70 Grands Prix.-Origins:In the 1970s, businessmen and motorsport fans Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge began their involvement in various car racing formulae in the UK. Ted was also noted...
and Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
before concentrating on his career at McLaren
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
. The documentary concentrates on his time with the British team – namely his rise to global fame – becoming a World Champion, his rivalry with his team mate Alain Prost
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
, and his political struggles with the then head of FISA
Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile was the governing body for motor racing events. The organisation's origins date from 1922, when the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile delegated the organisation of automobile racing to the CSI , an autonomous committee that would later...
Jean-Marie Balestre
Jean-Marie Balestre
Jean-Marie Balestre was a French auto racing executive, who was president of FISA from 1978 to 1991 and of the FIA from 1985 to 1993.-Biography:Balestre was born at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône....
. The film covers the climax of the rivalry during the 1989
1989 Formula One season
The 1989 Formula One season was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 26, 1989 and ended on November 5 after sixteen races...
and 1990
1990 Formula One season
The 1990 Formula One season was the 41st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1990 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 11, 1990 and ended on November 4 after sixteen races...
seasons, when Senna and Prost were involved in controversial clashes which decided the drivers' title.
Following a brief overview of the seasons that followed and the technological domination of the Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
cars, the documentary reaches its finale as Senna moves to the Grove-based team in 1994
1994 Formula One season
The 1994 Formula One season was the 45th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 27, 1994, and ended on November 13 after sixteen races. The season is remembered as one of the most tragic and controversial seasons in...
, before covering the events of that year's San Marino Grand Prix
1994 San Marino Grand Prix
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on May 1, 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season...
, which saw Senna lose his life
Death of Ayrton Senna
The death of three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna on May 1, 1994, occurred as a result of his car crashing into a concrete barrier while he was leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italy. The previous day, Roland Ratzenberger had been killed...
. The film concludes with the Senna family and his close friends from Formula One mourning his loss at his funeral.
In the film, both through home videos provided by the Senna family and from interviews with people that had known him, Senna is presented as sublime, spiritual, on occasion ruthless, as well as private, humble and fiercely patriotic, donating millions to his native Brazil and contemplating a life outside motor racing.
Critical reception
Senna was universally acclaimed by critics, with a 92% fresh critical consensus on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
as of November 2011. Dan Jolin of Empire Magazine gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and stated that it is "ambitiously constructed, deeply compelling, thrilling and in no way only for those who like watching cars drive in circles". Daniel Sarath from the online blog Napier's News gave the film 5 stars and called it "a flawless work of cinema that showcases documentary filmmaking at its most exciting". Alex Zane from The Sun gave the film 4 out of 5 and wrote that Senna is "fascinating and profoundly moving". Steve Rose, writing in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, also gave the film a 4 out of 5, and praised the fact that "with so much recorded footage of Formula One available, it has been possible to fashion Senna's story as a live action drama rather than a posthumous documentary. We're not so much hearing what happened in the past as seeing it happen before our eyes."
Accolades
| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance Film Festival Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new... |
World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary | — | |
| Los Angeles Film Festival Los Angeles Film Festival The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single... |
Audience Award for Best International Feature | — | |
| Melbourne International Film Festival Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World.... |
People's Choice Awards for Best Documentary | — | |
| Adelaide Film Festival Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival is a biennial and non-competitive film festival held over two weeks in late February, in Adelaide, South Australia.... . |
Audience Award for Best Documentary | — |
Release
A special screening of Senna was held on October 7, 2010 at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix2010 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2010 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 10 October 2010 at the Suzuka Circuit, in Suzuka, Mie, Japan. It was held as the sixteenth round of the 2010 Formula One season. Contested over 53 laps, the race was won by Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel after starting from...
, at the Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit
, Suzuka Circuit for short, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, the subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..-Introduction:...
in Suzuka
Suzuka, Mie
is a city located in Mie, Japan.As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 198,716 and the density of 1,020 people per km². The total area is 194.67 km².Located about 83 km east from Nara, and 52 km southwest from Nagoya.-History:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The official world première was held at the Cinemark Theatre in Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
on November 3, 2010. It was released in Brazil on 12 November 2010 and the UK on 3 June 2011.
Home media
In Japan and Brazil, the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray discs on March 21 and 24, 2011, respectively. On October 11 it was released onto home media in the UK.External links
- BAFTA presents Asif Kapadia on Senna recorded at Latitude Festival 2011