Pulp Announce Gareth Jennings-Directed Film ‘What Do You Do for an Encore?’

The announcement of *What Do You Do for an Encore?*, a new 90-minute film from Pulp directed by Gareth Jennings, arriving exclusively on Mubi this fall, arrives at an intriguing nexus for both indie cinema and the music-driven narrative form. Pulp, long celebrated for their sharp, witty lyrics and theatrical persona, has rarely ventured into full-length filmmaking, making this project a natural evolution for a band whose stage presence often feels like a cinematic experience. Jennings, whose prior work includes music videos and visually rich shorts, seems well-suited to channel Pulp’s aesthetic—partly surreal, partly satirical—into a medium that can accommodate both their lyrical storytelling and dramatic pacing. The exclusive streaming deal with Mubi, a platform known for curating arthouse and international cinema, signals an intentional positioning of the film as both cultural artifact and niche entertainment, appealing to fans of the band and adventurous viewers alike. What makes this release particularly noteworthy is its timing within a broader resurgence of music-driven cinema. Recent years have seen a wave of documentaries, concert films, and narrative features that blur the line between performance and storytelling, from *The Sparks Brothers* to *Last Days of Summer*. Pulp’s involvement adds a distinctly British, post-punk sensibility to this trend, one rooted in class-conscious storytelling and ironic detachment. Yet the film’s title—*What Do You Do for an Encore?*—hints at something more introspective, perhaps a meditation on legacy, repetition, or the pressure to follow up a career-defining work. Whether this proves to be a meta-commentary on Pulp’s own cultural afterlife or a playful narrative experiment remains to be seen. The exclusive Mubi release raises questions about distribution strategy in the streaming era, especially for a project that straddles music and film. Will it draw a niche but devoted audience, or signal a broader push for music-centric cinema on curated platforms? Either way, *What Do You Do for an Encore?* feels like more than a vanity project—it’s a deliberate artistic statement, one that could redefine how we perceive the intersection of music and cinema in the 21st century.