Life Is Excellent

David Robilliard was a talented British artist who died in 1988, aged just 36 years old, one of the many young gay men of his generation lost to AIDS. In this emotional documentary, the actor and contemporary art devotee Russell Tovey embarks on a quest to bring the life and work of Robilliard back to its rightful prominence. 

The result is Life is Excellent, a film that gathers together the artist’s close friends, collaborators, and colleagues to remember and celebrate a remarkable talent. Through their memories and Tovey’s devotion to Robilliard’s work, we build a picture of a young dynamic artist full of courage and wit whose legacy deserves to shine. 

There will be a post screening conversation featuring Russell Tovey, producer Susie Hall, and director Joe Ingham and this year’s Vanguard Award winner, the director of All Of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh. 

Dir. Joe Ingham

Producers: Susie Hall, Joe Ingham, Russell Tovey

UK / 2023

49m