Gerry Anderson, the creator of classic 1960s children’s supermarionation adventures Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and the beyond-iconic Thunderbirds as well as later, more sophisticated adult-orientated sci-fi shows UFO and Space:1999, passed away in December 2012. But his legacy and the fruits of his extraordinary imagination live on thanks to his son Jamie  Anderson who, as Director of Anderson Entertainment, is ensuring that his father’s ground-breaking work continues to enjoy a high profile and, excitingly, that Gerry’s  never-realised ideas and stories are finally made available to his fans and the public.

But Network Releasing, who hold the rights to some of Gerry’s earlier shows such as Four Feather Falls and Supercar, are doing their bit too. Network, who specialise in high quality DVD and Blu-ray releases of classic and obscure television titles, will later this year release a brand new, exclusive documentary – Filmed in Supermarionation – which will celebrate Gerry’s unforgettable oeuvre of TV adventure series.

Network’s official press release explains: “NETWORK Distributing has completed a major new film about the work of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Filmed In Supermarionation. The definitive documentary about the culturally iconic puppetry and animation technique developed by Gerry and Sylvia, Supermarionation was utilised in all their programmes throughout the 1960s including Stingray, Captain Scarlet and, most famously, Thunderbirds.

Directed and produced by Stephen La Rivière (The Story Of Upstairs Downstairs, We Were ‘The Champions’), Filmed In Supermarionation is a screen adaptation of his book of the same name telling the story of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s TV productions using a wealth of previously unseen archive footage, new interviews with those involved, and clips from the shows themselves.

Tim Beddows, MD at Network Distributing, said: “Having grown up with the series they created, I’m thrilled to present the story of how Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their team of extraordinary filmmakers brought the most spectacular children’s television to audiences around the world. They were genuine pioneers and it’s a testament to their skills that, decades on, the shows continue to thrill new generations.”

Director Stephen La Rivière added: “Despite being made in the 60s the Supermarionation shows have continually found new audiences. A large part of this is down to the incredible care with which they were made. For a long time it’s been my hope to make this film and tell the pioneering story of the small team of filmmakers behind these shows; a team that was so desperate to make ‘proper’ grown up films that they utilised all their ingenuity to push forward the then limited arts of puppetry and special effects and in the process inadvertently changed film history.”

Filmed in Supermarionation will be released Autumn 2014 and an exclusive original trailer has been released today to coincide with the announcement of the film’s release.

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