A new documentary tracing the origins of the Red Hot Chili Peppers — and the lasting impact of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak — is headed to Netflix this spring. Before securing its streaming home, the documentary was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by private showings in New York and Los Angeles.
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, directed by Ben Feldman, will premiere March 20. The film revisits the band’s scrappy beginnings in the 1980s Los Angeles music scene, spotlighting the childhood bond between bassist Flea and singer Anthony Kiedis — a friendship that helped spark one of rock’s most enduring careers.
Drawing on interviews with founding members and those close to Slovak, the documentary explores how his creative vision shaped the group’s signature sound before his death from a drug overdose in 1988 at age 26. The film promises a rare, personal look at the relationships that defined the band’s identity long before global fame followed.
Feldman said in a statement: “It’s a true honor to partner with Netflix to bring The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to a global audience. At its heart, this is a deeply relatable story — about the friendships that shape our identities and the lasting power of the bonds forged in adolescence. What’s less relatable, of course, is that here those friends went on to create one of the greatest rock bands in history. I’m profoundly grateful to the band and to Hillel’s family for their trust and generosity, and to Netflix for helping bring this story to the world stage.Red Hot Chili Peppers”
The band, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, most recently released Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen in 2022. Meanwhile, Flea is set to unveil his jazz-leaning solo debut, Honora, on March 27.
Editorial credit: L Paul Mann / Shutterstock.com
