At the edge of the limelight is a rocky roll call of veteran musos who share the stage but not the spoils.

Not every band can be John, Paul, George and Ringo. In the tradition of Twenty Feet From Stardom (MIFF 2013), this backstage raconteur of a documentary from rock photographer and videographer turned director Fran Strine gives voice to some of the greatest players in the world, who deliver iconic sounds but might still have to deliver pizzas. These are the hired guns: session musicians who back up the famous faces banking the chart-topping hits.

Digging into the untold dramas that happen in the shadows of rock's biggest names, it features revealing and wry interviews with notorious ‘replacements' Jason Newstead (Metallica) and Eric Singer (KISS) as well as the once-nameless faces playing behind superstars such as Ozzy, P!nk, Billy Joel and Cher, and the no-longer faceless names who delivered timeless hits. From Alice Cooper to the Ghostbusters theme song, the behind-the-scenes music industry tales that make up Hired Gun are as electrifying as they are bittersweet.

"As a history of the last 40 years of pop music, this film is more than just solid; it's a must-see." – Hammer to Nail

Fran Strine is a guest of the festival