From the Sky Down is a 2011 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about rock band U2 and the production of their 1991 album Achtung Baby. The film documents the album's difficult recording period, the band members' relationships, and the group's creative process. Guggenheim, who was commissioned by U2 to create the film to commemorate the record's 20th anniversary, spent several months in 2011 developing the documentary. The band were filmed during a return visit to Hansa Studios in Berlin where parts of the album were recorded, and during rehearsals in Winnipeg for the Glastonbury Festival 2011. The film contains unreleased scenes from the group's 1988 motion picture Rattle and Hum, along with archival footage and stills from the Achtung Baby recording sessions. Development of the album's emblematic song "One" is recounted through the replaying of old recording tapes. The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2011, the first time in the festival's history that a documentary was screened as the opening film. Beginning in October, a series of television broadcasts commenced, including showings on BBC Television, Showtime, and Super Channel. The film was bundled with the deluxe editions of Achtung Babys 20th anniversary reissue and was later released as standalone copies on Blu-ray and DVD on December 12, 2011. Reviews from critics were mixed; many found the insight into the band's creative process informative, while others judged that the film did not provide adequate in-depth coverage of the album. From the Sky Down was nominated for the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. Background After the commercial and critical success of their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, U2 produced a motion picture and companion album titled Rattle and Hum that was subject to a critical backlash. The band's exploration of American music for the project was variously labelled as "pretentious" and "misguided and bombastic". The group's high exposure and their reputation for being overly serious led to accusations of grandiosity and self-righteousness. In addition to the criticism they faced, U2 dealt with internal creative dissatisfaction; lead vocalist Bono believed they were musically unprepared for their success, and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. said, "We were the biggest, but we weren't the best". Towards the end of the Lovetown Tour in 1989, Bono announced onstage that it was "the end of something for U2", and that "we have to go away