Ian Curtis is played with uncanny realism by newcomer Sam Riley – between the ages of 17 and 23, when he committed suicide. But despite its subject matter, this intimate and darkly humorous feature is not a music movie per se. Rather, it’s a passionate portrayal of a remarkable individual who unfortunately became the victim of personal demons – someone whose very existence changed Corbijn’s life forever. Over a cup of mint tea, the Dutchman revealed how…

Having initially declined the offer, what made you reconsider and make Control?
In 2004 I worked on something with U2 that went back to the early 1980s, and it dawned on me again how I felt during that period of my life; how it felt to move from Holland to London in October 1979 because of Joy Division, live in a squat with no money, and have music mean so much to me.