LINKIN PARK's JOSEPH HAHN On 'Unshatter' Documentary: 'We Thought That It Would Be A Good Opportunity To Tell Our Story'

Joseph Hahn, LINKIN PARK DJ and creative director, spoke to BBC News' Mel Ramsay about the new LINKIN PARK documentary, "Unshatter", which will open in theaters on September 30. The film, which Hahn directed, focuses on LINKIN PARK's 2024 return, seven years after the death of the group's singer Chester Bennington. This movie captures the years that followed Bennington's 2017 death and how the band reformed with DEAD SARA's Emily Armstrong on vocals and Colin Brittain, a songwriter and producer for G FLIP, ILLENIUM and ONE OK ROCK, on drums. "Unshatter" features behind-the-scenes footage, archival clips and recent performances.

Asked when he realized that there was a story worth telling in documentary form, Hahn said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's been the idea of doing a documentary of sorts, and it was just never the right thing at the right time. And when the opportunity came, when we were approached to shoot the São Paulo show, which was on the launch of our [latest] album ['From Zero'], we thought it was a good idea. People haven't seen us play. And then we also thought that it would be a good opportunity to tell our story. I think we found ourselves doing a lot of interviews and explaining things, but I think to see what's going on in real time and feel what's going on in these rooms as we're just trying to figure things out, we didn't really know what we were doing. I think you see in the film, it's just the camaraderie, encouragement. It started more from the love of doing it, from our appreciation for each other, just how we're growing as human beings. That's the part of it that I really wanted to show, and I think that's relatable to a lot of people."

Regarding the "Unshatter" documentary title and how it relates to the vulnerable moments which are included in the film, Hahn said: "There's a lot of time that went by before the film, things that we didn't document, just private conversations... I think it's just an overall feeling of being lost and not knowing what to do and everyone being at different places, and everyone had to go through their own processes of healing and reflection. There were actually a few attempts to get back together and make music, and it didn't feel right. And just like that analogy, we were broken, and it just took us getting back to the core of what we do and looking at the history and our appreciation for each other to get back to the basics of what we love to do, what we enjoyed doing as kids. That was the glue, so to speak. The important part of it all is to not completely fix it, but have some kind of repair and not be afraid to show your scars. That's the Kintsugi reference [the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the broken areas with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum]. It's like they paint the cracked skull to celebrate that this is a thing to happen, but ultimately, it can lead to something just as beautiful. I think that's just something that we thought of along the way, and then the title of the film, 'Unshatter', which was one of our songs, I think that was just part of our ethos while making the music. So it just seemed very appropriate to name the film that."

Asked about the reference in the film about him it being the catalyst for making new music with LINKIN PARK again years after Bennington's death, Hahn said: "I don't know if I would say I'm the catalyst. I guess in different ways, we all were. But it was just a matter of to say, 'Hey, what are we doing? We're living life, but we're losing time. We're not getting younger.' And it's, like, what is it that we love to do? There's a lot of things, but making music and making music with the people you like making music with is important. And I think as we deviated on our own paths during our hiatus, we all did really cool things on our own. But it wasn't the same, and I think the magnitude of how powerful the music can be with us together, that's really special. So I think it just took everyone at different points to arrive at the importance of what that is. And also, I think there's a lot of growing up. We started this band as kids and became adults, and you have to check in along the way to recalibrate. So, I think we're doing a lot of that too."

Asked what Armstrong has added to the LINKIN PARK dynamic that maybe wasn't there before, Hahn said: "Oh, man, so many things. Aside from her being an amazing talent, I think it's more important that she's an amazing person, someone that you wanna be around, laugh together or share ideas together, be comfortable enough to feel vulnerable and honest with what you think or something that you might be embarrassed or ashamed to say in other circumstances. So I think overall with the group, there's a trust that's been cultivated that we didn't recognize in each other before. As far as what you're referring to, we're all — at least to each other — we're all pretty enjoyable to be around, but there's a certain energy that we have, and hers just is more dynamic, I would say. And in a way that's very similar to Chester. They're two different people. And then once we saw that spark, we gravitated towards it. We wanted her to be around and work on some music together. And then we were, like, 'Okay, this is a real missing ingredient in what we're doing, what really made us stand out.'"

On the topic of how important it was for him and his LINKIN PARK bandmates to acknowledge some of the uncertainty and some of the criticism around this new chapter rather than to avoid them, Hahn said: "I think the criticisms, they can come from different places. The worst part of it is when it comes from yourself. And I think that's probably the reason why it took so long for us to even feel comfortable with the idea of trying again. I think the other part of it is the band is really meaningful to a lot of people and very personal to each person. So based on the history and the great things that we've done, people take that as our own. And so it's easy for a person to formulate this idea of what the band is, what it should be, what it's allowed to do. But when it comes down to it, you have to let things be and then something great will come out of it."

After a seven-year hiatus following the devastating loss of their beloved bandmate Chester Bennington, LINKIN PARK's remaining members struggled to find their way forward. Their shared history and enduring friendship, combined with the fresh perspective of two new band members Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain spark a renewed creative energy that leads them on a transformative journey of artistic reinvention.

Following the band from intimate 2022 studio sessions through their explosive "From Zero" album release and concert in São Paulo, the film "Unshatter" weaves together rare vault footage, electrifying performances from sold-out shows, and candid interviews with band members and fans — capturing the raw, honest story of what it means to start over.

The accompanying "Unshatter Film Soundtrack (Live in São Paulo)" features transcendent performances of songs spanning their entire career, including exclusive recordings not experienced in the film.

LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda told BBC News about the decision to release "Unshatter": "Even before Chester passed away, it was kind of Joe being a filmmaker. He always wanted to do something that kind of explained our universe to people. And then after Chester passed, everything was just, like… We didn't even think we had a band anymore, so everything just kind of went away. And as things started to come back together, and we met Colin, and we met Emily, and we started to make music and the album became a reality, we were filming things. And eventually, we realized that not only do a lot of people not understand the band's culture — not us, just us, but the community around LINKIN PARK. But they and the people inside that bubble and the people outside, they wanna know, like, how did you pick up the pieces after this tragedy and losing your friend and co-founder of this thing that we spent 20 years with? How do you go from that to Wembley? How do you go from that to… Our ['From Zero'] album-launch show was in São Paulo. It was one of the most celebratory, emotional moments of our lives. So, thankfully, we had the good sense to have some cameras rolling during the whole time."

LINKIN PARK introduced its new lineup during a September 2024 live performance event, with Armstrong and Brittain joining Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Hahn. LINKIN PARK also released a new single, "The Emptiness Machine", and announced "From Zero".

"From Zero" featured the No. 1 single "The Emptiness Machine" and propelled LINKIN PARK to be the only rock band in 2024 to exceed two billion streams. "From Zero (Deluxe Edition)" was released in May 2025.

Delson contributed to "From Zero", but hasn't been part of LINKIN PARK's live shows in support of the LP. The live guitar position has instead been filled by Alex Feder.