Living with cancer 13 years after his diagnosis, Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell continues touring as he trades arena stages for rally stages, chasing speed, purpose, and a new dream behind the wheel of a rally car.
Documentary Synopsis: For most of his life, Vivian Campbell has lived in motion, touring the world as the guitarist for Def Leppard while also facing a 13 year battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer he is still living with today. Vivian Campbell: Between Stages follows Campbell as he steps away from the lights and noise of the concert stage and into the unpredictable world of rally racing. What begins as a passion for cars becomes something deeper: a place of focus, trust, risk, and presence. Through music, motorsport, and reflection, the film reveals a man still pushing forward, still chasing the edge, and still finding new ways to feel fully alive.
Director Statement: Vivian Campbell: Between Stages began as a film about Vivian Campbell’s passion for rally racing, but it quickly became a deeper portrait of a man still chasing challenge, focus, and happiness while living with cancer.Vivian is known around the world as the guitarist for Def Leppard, but I was interested in the side of him that I know, the one that exists away from the concert stage. Rally racing is not a celebrity hobby for him. It is something he takes seriously, something that demands trust, discipline, humility, and complete presence. In many ways, the rally car becomes another kind of stage for him, one without lights, crowds, or a setlist.Because Vivian is a friend, I felt a responsibility to tell this story with honesty and care. He did not want the film to be defined by his cancer, and neither did I. At the same time, after 13 years of living with lymphoma, that part of his life cannot be separated from the story completely. A diagnosis like that changes the way a person sees life, time, risk, passion, and the need to keep moving forward. The challenge was to include that truth without letting it overshadow the thing Vivian clearly loves, rally.For me, this film is not about cancer. It is about living life and being present. It is about what happens when someone who has spent decades performing on the world’s biggest stages finds a new place to feel fully alive. It is about music, motorsport, friendship, trust, fear, and the refusal to stand still.My goal was to make a short documentary that feels both intimate and kinetic, a film that honors Vivian’s passion for motorsport and rally, while allowing the audience to understand the deeper emotional reasons beneath it.
Director Biography: Michael Venn is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of Venn Creative Media. His work spans documentary film, branded content, music, and automotive storytelling, with credits including In Danger of Being Discovered, The Heroin Effect, and Dark Scribbles. Known for emotionally honest, human centered films, Venn brings a story first approach to subjects rooted in passion, resilience, and personal transformation. Vivian Campbell: Between Stages continues that work, blending music, motorsport, and an intimate portrait of a man still pushing forward while living with cancer.
