MONODUOFILMS CATALOGUE 2017
THE ALLINS a Film by SAMI SAIFS
Documentary/ Denmark / 2017 74 Minutes – Color / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
The late American extreme punk rock musician, GG Allin, is best remembered for his notorious live performances, which often featured transgressive acts, including self-mutilation, eating his own feces, and attacking the audience. In 1993 he died of an heroin overdose. In director Sami Saifs (Family) upcoming film The Allins we meet the two remaining family members, mother Arleta and brother Merle, who is still active in GG Allins backing band The Murder Junkies. It is the story about an extraordinary loving family, whose departed son and brother has left a trail of unanswered questions, and how we need to feed our own version of the past to overcome the present and the future.
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CPH:DOX 2017 MELBOURNE IFF 2017
TONY CONRAD COMPLETELY IN THE PRESENT a Film by TYLOR HUBBY Documentary/ USA / 2016 96 Minutes – Color / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Tony Conrad was one the great American artists of his time, yet to the world at large he remains criminally under appreciated. Since the early 1960s, Conrad's films and compositions have been the stuff of legend for artists and musicians everywhere. He performed in and recorded the soundtrack to Jack Smith's legendary Flaming Creatures; he laid bare the paradigms of cinema with The Flicker, a film composed of only black and white frames; his powerful and startling drone compositions still have the music establishment scratching their heads; his early work with La monte Young and John Cale played a role in the formation of The Velvet Underground; as an early adopter of activist public access television he democratized the emerging medium of portable video for ordinary citizens. His vast, fifty year inter-disciplinary repertoire inspired and confounded generations of artists, collaborators and fans. In his later years he continued to perform and make work that pushed the boundaries of reason for which he has finally begun to receive worldwide attention.
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DOC NYC 2016 ROTTERDAM FILM FESTIVAL 2017
REVIEWS "JOYOUS, EXHILARATING, AND TRANSFORMATIVE, Tyler Hubby's documentary Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present is essential viewing for anyone involved in the history of music and visual art." – Amy Taubin / Artforum "An exploration of avant-garde art that has little time for elitism or pretense... [Tyler] Hubby captures an artistic personality that could manifest big ideas without a shred of snobbery, could deflate pomposity while still inviting deep thought." — John DeFore,
SONICA SEQUENCE
a Film by PETHER LINDGREN & LISA NORDSTRÖM Documentary/ Sweden / 2017 55 Minutes – Color / Japanese, Indonesian, Arabic, Spanish, Yoruba and Swedish
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Sonica Sequence follows Swedish musician/composer Lisa Nordström traveling the world to meet with musicians from different genres and backgrounds, inviting them to take part in improvised live sessions unexpectedly taking place in the public space. Sonica Sequence is a film about meeting each other in a wordless space and to connect within the unifying language of music.
CPH:DOX 2017 NORDISK PANORAMA 2017
FAR WESTERN a Film by JAMES PAYNE
Documentary/ USA - Japan / 2016 82 Minutes – Color / English
SYNOPSIS Far Western is a feature documentary film that tells the phenomenal story of the transplant of American country music to post-World War II Japan. Nearly 70 years later, for a devoted group the music has become a lifelong obsession. Part music history and part character portrait, Far Western is told through the lives of musicians, fans, and live-music venue owners. Set both in modern Japan and the American South, the film explores the uncanny ability of a simple form of music to cross geographic and language barriers, forming a strange cultural bridge between the two countries. Now, these Japanese musicians have made their own pilgrimages back to America, to the birthplace of the music, playing in honky-tonks and festivals in America.
FESTIVALS IDFA 2016 FULL FRAME 2017 KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL 2017
AIM FOR THE ROSES a Film by JOHN BOLTON
Documentary/ Canada / 2016 102 Minutes – Color / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Before the Internet, in the era of Evel Knievel, North America was fascinated with daredevils. Their outrageous stunts drew massive crowds and TV audiences. Canadian Ken Carter was a mildly successful showman who in 1976 hyped a feat so extreme it became the stuff of legend: with a rocket-powered car and a ramp, he planned to jump a one-mile span of the St. Lawrence River in Canada and land in a bed of roses in the United States. Fast forward to 2008.
HOTDOCS 2016 DOXA 2016
Vancouver musician Mark Haney decided Carter’s epic stunt deserved a musical treatment in the form of a concept album for solo double bass. The Georgia Straight called it “utterly amazing and completely fucking ridiculous.” Employing a symphony of archival footage, automotive carnage, dramatic re-enactments, original interviews and musical numbers, John Bolton captures the insanity and humanity of these very different men, culminating in an operatic ode to creative risk-taking that throws caution to the wind.
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UNFINISHED PLAN a Film by RODOLFO GÁRATE
Documentary/ USA - Chile / 2017 95 Minutes – Color / English - Spanish
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Alain Johannes is one of America’s most influential rock musicians for the last three decades. The man whose signature is imprinted on the sounds of legends such as Queens of The Stone Age, Chris Cornell, Brody Dalle, PJ Harvey and Mark Lanegan has had a brilliant career. But his story is tragically overshadowed by the death of Natasha – his wife and musical partner. The existential void her loss left in him pushed him towards a sound journey that takes him back to the country of his origin, Chile, after many decades.
IN EDIT CHILE 2016 WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY
Unfinished Plan features musical heavyweights such as Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), Josh Homme (Queens of The Stone Age), Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) and many others.
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WHERE YOU’RE MEANT TO BE a Film by PAUL FEGAN
Documentary/ Scotland / 2016 75 Minutes – Color / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Cult-pop raconteur Aidan Moffat sets out to explore Scotland’s past by rewriting and touring its oldest songs. But he doesn't count on running into 79-year-old force of nature Sheila Stewart – a travelling balladeer who upturns Moffat's folk assumptions. He believes the old songs are ripe for updating. She does not. With Stewart's wrath ringing in his ears, Moffat embarks on a road trip that finds him dressed for battle in a Highland graveyard, caught between feuding monster-hunters at Loch Ness, and singing in a dismissive farmer's kitchen – before facing Stewart in his home-town of Glasgow for an unlikely final showdown, in this funny wee film about music and death..
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SHEFIELD DOCFEST 2016 IDFA 2016 GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2016 CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2016 BUENOS AIRES INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BAFICI 2017
AWARDS
GRIERSON AWARD FOR BEST NEWCOMER SILVER HUGO FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
IN PRODUCTION
RICHIE HAWTIN: CLOSE a Film by KIERAN EVANS
Documentary/ UK / 2018 90 Minutes – Color and B&W / English
SYNOPSIS Part visual essay, part documentary, CLOSE places the composition of new artistic work from electronic music pioneer Richie Hawtin at the heart of a discursive exploration of the creative process and the science of sound. Narratively rich and ambitious in its scope, CLOSE sets out to deliver an intimate and fascinating story within a distinctive and visually striking documentary format.
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KIM
a Film by JUAN CAMILO CRUZ AND ANDRÉS GÓMEZ Documentary/ Colombia - Germany / 2018 80 Minutes – Color / Spanish
SYNOPSIS Bryan always knew he was a girl. When he was 11 years old, after his mother abandoned him to go after a woman and his father was murder by the Medellin Cartels for being the lover of a local mafia lord, he decided to begin his transformation. Growing up in a traditional family at his grandmothers, Bryan was destined to become the older brother and the “man of the house”, but his nature was very different to that. With the notorious influence of the narco-esthetics and the cult of plastic beauty present in Medellin since the early 90s, Kim and another 4 boys from the favelas started transitioning into what is now known as “El Mariposario”, the most famous transgender gang in the country.
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After winning a lawsuit against her school for not allowing her to attend dressed as a girl, Kim Zuluaga became not only Colombia's most famous trans-gender, but also an international social media star that turned around the legislation of a country. With in-depth access to her intimate universe, the film follows the process of her transformation and struggles, it drives through complex and inspiring family dynamics while depicting the dark life in the fabellas after the Cartels. KIM is an unconventional story about fighting to become who you really are and liberating others
CATALOGUE
LO SOUND DESERT a Film by JÖRG STEINECK
Documentary/ USA - Germany / 2016 96 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Lo Sound Desert is a documentary about the Californian Desert music scene which gave birth to bands like Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age. What was started by revolting punk rock kids throwing parties in the middle of the desert – hidden from narrow-minded authorities of suburban America in the early 80s, became a movement over the years.
HOF IFF 2015 AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY FF 2016 GET LOUD! HELSINKI INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FILM FESTIVAL 2016
The film provides a deep, intimate look into the Low Desert music scene’s history with never-ending jams in the middle of the desert which continues to live on with the same vitality, authenticity and resilience as two decades ago. Lo Sound Desert is narrated by Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and many other from bands like Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson, Mondo Generator, Dali’s Llama, Hornss, Slo Burn, Unida and Fu Manchu.
MONODUOFILMS
HOT SUGAR´S COLD WORLD a Film by ADAM BHALA LOUGH Documentary/ USA / 2015 85 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
From internationally acclaimed filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough, and Executive Producers David Gordon Green, Danny McBride and Jody Hill, Hot Sugar’s Cold World is a fly-on-the-wall look into the life of a modern-day Mozart, Nick Koenig (Hot Sugar) as he creates one-of-a-kind music made entirely out of sounds from the world around him. Nick lives every young musician’s dream, but when his internet- famous girlfriend, (rapper Kitty) goes on tour and they split, he flies to Paris where he grew up, to move on with his life, while hunting for increasingly unique and exotic sounds to sample and turn into beats. Through his journey, Hot Sugar goes on some crazy adventures, meets some fascinating people and learns what it takes to survive as an artist.
WORLD PREMIERE SXSW 2015 HOT DOCS 2015 BFI LONDON 2015 IDFA 2015
With appearances by former members of Das Racist, legendary filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers, Only Lovers Left Alive), the world’s most renowned Astrophysicist, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson (Cosmos on FOX) and comedian Martin Starr (HBO’s Silicon Valley) among a host of other musicians and personalities.
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WE ARE TWISTED FUCKING SISTER a Film by ANDREW HORN
Documentary/ USA - Germany / 2014 137 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
They were the Grand Funk of Glam and the NY Dolls of Metal. Some considered Twisted Sister a joke, others called them the greatest bar band in the world. While microcosm of Punk/New Wave was taking over NYC in the mid 70s – early 80s, Twisted Sister was battling their way to the top of a vast suburban, cover-band bar scene that surrounded NYC in a 100 mile radius, yet existed in a parallel universe.
WORLD PREMIERE IDFA 2014 GÖTEBORG 2015
The documentary film, “We Are Twisted F*cking Sister!” is the untold story of Twisted Sister’s 10 years playing the bars, prior to their breakout in 1983. The film follows them from their beginnings as a cross-dressing glam band playing 4 shows a night, 6 nights a week, of cover songs in New Jersey bowling alleys and Long Island beach bars, to the suburban mega-clubs of the late 70s/early 80s, to their bust-out appearance on the UK rock TV show, “The Tube”.
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PULP: A FILM ABOUT LIFE DEATH AND SUPERMARKETS a Film by FLORIAN HABICHT
Documentary/ UK / 2014 91 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Sheffield, 1988, ‘The Day That Never Happened’. Following a disastrous farewell show in their hometown, PULP move to London in search of success. They find fame on the world stage in the 1990s with anthems including ‘ Common People’ and ‘Disco 2000’. 25 years (and 10 million album sales) later, they return to Sheffield for their last UK concert: what could go wrong?
WORLD PREMIERE SXSW 2014 HOT DOCS 2014 SHEFFIELD 2014 CPH:DOX 2014 SIDNEY IFF 2014 DOC FEST MUNICH 2015
Giving a career best performance exclusive to the film, the band share their thoughts on fame, love, mortality - & car maintenance. Director Florian Habicht (Love Story) weaves together the band’s personal offerings with dream-like specially-staged tableaux featuring ordinary people recruited on the streets of Sheffield. Unveiling the deep affection that the inhabitants of Sheffield have for PULP, and the formative effect the town has had on the band’ s music (& front-man Jarvis Cocker’ s lyrics in particular) PULP is a music-film like no other – by turns funny, moving, life-affirming & (occasionally) bewildering. "A handsome cinematic homage to a unique band, a proud city and the unifying power of pop music. The group’s comeback shows felt like a triumphant lap of honor, and Habicht’s film certainly captures that feeling." Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter
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THE CASE OF THE THREE SIDED DREAM a Film by ADAM KAHAN
Documentary/ USA / 2014 87 Minutes / Color B/W / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1935-1977) was more than a blind musician who could play three horns at once, more than one of the most exciting and amazing sax players who ever lived. Beyond the ability to play multiple melodies at the same time, he was a warrior against racial injustice, fought for people with disabilities, and was a tireless campaigner for a wider appreciation of Jazz (what he termed Black Classical Music). Packed with electrifying archival footage of Kirk and his music, intimate interviews, and inspired animated sequences; Kahan’s film is an absorbing look at the man who wouldn’t even let partial paralysis keep him from pursuing what he called “The Religion of Dreams.”
WORLD PREMIERE SXSW 2014 FULL FRAME 2014 IDFA 2014
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AUSTIN TO BOSTON
a Film by JAMES MARCUS HANEY produced by BEN LOVETT & TY JOHNSON Documentary/ USA - England - Australia / 2014 72 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
5 old VW camper vans. 4 bands. 3 thousand miles. 2 weeks. 1 gloriously backwards tour. The adventure starts after a fire-fuelled final night at Austin's SXSW Music Festival, where the bands (Ben Howard, The Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff, Bear's Den) pile into their rides and head northeast. They play everywhere from bars to barns, rooms to rooftops, packing out tiny venues and wowing crowds with their unique sounds.
WORLD PREMIERE SHEFFIELD DOC FEST 2014 BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2014 SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL 2014 IDFA 2014
But heavy rainstorms, multiple breakdowns, and cramped conditions remind them that to push through sometimes you need to pull together. Featuring Mumford & Sons' Ben Lovett and narrated by Gill Landry this documentary is about a modern tour, done the old fashioned way.
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JALANAN a Film by DANIEL ZIV
Documentary / Indonesia / 2013 107 Minutes / Color HD/ Indonesian - English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
JALANAN ('Streetside') tells the captivating story of Boni, Ho & Titi, three gifted, charismatic street musicians in Jakarta over a tumultuous 5-year period in their own lives and that of Indonesia. The film follows the young marginalized musicians and their never before seen sub-culture, while also painting a striking, moody and intimate portrait of Indonesia’s frenzied capital city.
BUSAN IFF 2013 MELBOURNE IFF 2014 BURMA HUMAN RIGHTS DIGNITY IFF 2014 BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL 2014 DOCAVIV FESTIVAL 2014 CHOPSHOTS SOUTHEAST ASIA DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2014 ZANZIBAR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014 SHANGHAI TELEVISION FESTIVAL 2014 PARNU DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2014 JOGJA-NETPAC ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2014
Using the powerful soundtrack of the musicians' original compositions to drive the film, it traces their elusive quest for identity and love in the day-to-day of a city overrun by the effects of globalization and corruption.
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AWARDS BEST DOCUMENTARY BUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 AUDIENCE AWARD CHOPSHOTS SOUTHEAST ASIAN DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2014 RICHARD LEACOCK AWARD FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL 2014 BEST DOCUMENTARY SHANGHAI TELEVISION FESTIVAL 2014 SPECIAL MENTION AWARD JOGJA-NETPAC ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2014
I DREAM OF WIRES a Film by ROBERT FANTINATTO AND JASON AMM Documentary / Canada / 2014 96’ Minutes / Color HD/ English
SYNOPSIS I Dream of Wires begins with an historical primer, exploring the early development of modular synthesizers from pioneering companies Moog Music Inc. and Buchla and Associates, right through to the near-extinction of these instruments, brought on by the introduction of portable, digital synthesizers in the ’80s. From there, the rebirth of the modular synthesizer is retraced, leading into the phenomenal resurgence of the modular synthesizer. Along the way is some in-depth exploration of the passions, obsessions and dreams of people who have dedicated part of their lives to this esoteric electronic music machine. What started out as a “vintage-revival scene” in the ’90s has grown into an underground phenomena with a growing market of modular obsessives craving ever more wild and innovative sounds and interfaces. Today, the modular synthesizer is no longer an esoteric curiosity or even a mere music instrument — it is an essential tool for radical new sounds and a bona de subculture.
FESTIVALS CIMM FEST 2014 MUTEK FESTIVAL 2014 IN-EDIT 2014 SONAR 2014 CORK FILM FESTIVAL 2014
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CREATIVE DESPITE WAR a Film by RUI DÍAZ
Documentary / Afghanistan - Germany / 2015 60 Minutes / Color / English - Dari - Pashto
SYNOPSIS Despite thirty years of conflict, and eleven years of military occupation, despite violence, poverty, fundamentalism and war, there is a blossoming artistic movement in Afghanistan willing to be seen. Creative Despite War foregrounds some of the most innovative young Afghan artists in their struggle to create and show their artwork in a country where freedom of expression can often be life-threatening. Despite of this fact, their art is slowly taking over the city: from paintings on Kabul’s semi-destroyed walls to heavy metal underground concerts, the film takes us on a journey into Afghanistan’s growing artistic movement and into the intimate world of these artists, showing the impact of their artistic work in the construction of a new Afghan society, and proving that there is another perspective to see the country beyond the conflict. After many years of conflict, the image of Afghanistan in the world is mostly related to terrorism, violence, and oppression, making it difficult to discover the rich traditions and the modern developments of the country and its people. In light of the withdrawal of the foreign troops in 2014, the art scene becomes a field where afghan women and men regain their means of self-expression, testing the limits of their society and developing new ideas for the future of Afghanistan.
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OUR VINYL WEIGHS A TON: THIS IS STONES THROW RECORDS a Film by JEFF BROADWAY
Documentary/ USA / 2013 94 Minutes / Color / English
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SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton is a feature-length documentary about avant-garde Los Angeles-based record label Stones Throw Records. The film weaves together rare concert footage, never-before-seen archival material, inner-circle home video and photographs and in-depth interviews with the artists who put Stones Throw Records on the map. Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton gives an exclusive look into the label’s left-of-center artists, history, culture, and global following.
SXSW 2014 CPH:DOX 2013 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL 2013 STOCKHOLM FILM FESTIVAL 2013 LEEDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 STARZ DENVER FILM FESTIVAL 2013
The film features exclusive interviews with Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Madlib, Common, Questlove, Talib Kweli, Mike D (The Beastie Boys), Tyler the Creator, and many more.
MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS a Film by TOM BERNINGER
Documentary / USA 2013 80 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
The prolific, innovative rock band The National is on its biggest tour to date, but newbie roadie Tom, brother of frontman Matt Berninger, cannot help throwing a wrench into the well-oiled music machine. Tom’s moonlighting as an irreverent documentarian creates a drama of its own for the band on the road. Following the musicians and crew day and night, in places public and, ahem, private, Tom is reprimanded time and again. As endearing as the boy next door and embodying the wherewithal of a Christopher Guest character, he brings a delightfully awkward humor into the serious world of the seriously awesome The National. Brother Matt and his bandmates lend witty and profound colors to the mix, allowing carte blanche access to everything and anything that goes down on tour.
WORLD PREMIERE TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2013 OPENING FILM
Tom Berninger’s directorial debut is a brilliant and unceremonious self mockumentary with all of the ingredients for a good time and enough earnestness to come out on the other side with an admiration for those who have the gumption to create any kind of art. A cinematic juxtaposition that locks comedy and stoicism together on a tour bus, Mistaken for Strangers delivers an entertaining story of family, music and artistic aspiration.
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE HOT DOCS 2013 FANTASIA IFF 2013 SEATTLE IFF 2013 ARCLIGHT DOCFEST 2013 AFI DOCS FILM FESTIVAL 2013 SIDNEY IFF 2013 MELBOURNE IFF 2013 NEW ZEALAND IFF 2013 ATHENS IFF 2013 HELSINKI IFF 2013 REYJKAVIK IFF 2013 BFI LONDON IFF 2013 INEDIT IFF BARCELONA 2013 WARSAW IFF 2013 FESTIVAL DO RIO 2013 DOCLISOA 2013 KASSEL DOKFEST 2013 CPH:DOX 2013 ROKUMENTTI 2013 GÖTEBORG 2014 BAFICI 2014
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A BAND CALLED DEATH a Film by JEFF HOWLETT and MARK COVINO Documentary / USA 2012 98 Minutes / Colour, DIGIBETA / English
SYNOPSIS Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them. Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family chronicle, the story of Death is one of brotherly love and fierce, divinely inspired expression.
FESTIVALS -IDFA 2012 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL 2012 HAMPTONS IFF 2012 PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL 2012 SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST (SXSW) 2013 SEATTLE IFF 2013 FILM FEST GENT 2013 MILANO FILM FESTIVAL 2013 NEW ZEALAND IFFL 2013 MELBOURNE IFF 2013
INEDIT IFF 2013 NIGHT VISIONS 2013 ROKUMENTTI 2013 BILBAO FILM FESTIVAL 2013 MAR DEL PLATA 2013
AWARDS AUDIENCE AWARD - BEST MUSIC FILM SXSW 2013 AUDIENCE AWARD VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013
9 MUSES OF STAR EMPIRE a Film by LEE HARIKOON
Documentary / South Korea / 2013 82 Minutes / Color HD/ English - Korean
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS --
TV journalist Lee Harkjoon, previously best-known for reportage on refugees from North Korea, gained extraordinary access to the inner workings of K-pop agency Star Empire, and spent a year observing the casting, training and attempted launch of the new girl-group 9 Muses. You may be surprised to see just how “manufactured” 9 Muses are: the (very) long hours of rehearsals are beyond physically demanding, and the upper echelons of management don’t seem to have any scruples about dehumanizing the girls. But once you’ve got used to seeing young women treated as robots, you’ll find the course of events fairly predictable: there are betrayals, rivalries and injuries, and there’s the hushed-up scandal of an illicit sexual relationship between the manager and a band member. Still, nothing beats seeing it for yourself, and this offers what must be definitive insights into the processes that keep K-pop going.
IDFA 2012 VANCOUVER IFF 2013 DOCUMENTARY EDGE FESTIVAL 2013 SOUND+VISION 2013
AS THE PALACES BURN a Film by DON ARGOTT
Documentary / USA 2013 90 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
In 1995, five guys from Virginia with a love of heavy metal began jamming together. They played in basements and dingy clubs, recorded demos, worked hard, built a rabid underground fan base, and eventually called themselves Lamb of God.
IDFA 2013 GÖTEBORG 2014 VISION DU REEL 2014 IN-EDIT 2014 AMBULANTE COLOMBIA 2014
Now, more than fifteen years later, Lamb of God has achieved the kind of success that kids with garage bands dream about—they have sold over two million albums, made two platinum-selling DVDs, been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and have continued growing their cult of heavy metal loyalists into a worldwide community. As the Palaces Burn is a feature-length documentary that originally sought to follow the band and their fans throughout the world, to demonstrate how music ties us together when we can’t find any other common bond. However, during the filming process in 2012, the story abruptly took a dramatic turn, bringing the band into a Kafkaesque nightmare, when lead singer Randy Blythe was arrested on charges of manslaughter, blamed for the death of one of their young fans in the Czech Republic. What followed was a heart-wrenching courtroom drama that left fans, friends, and curious onlookers around the world on the edge of their seats.
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THE GHOST OF PIRAMIDA a Film by ANDREAS KOEFOED
Documentary / Denmark 2012 57 Minutes / Color HD / English - Danish - Russian
SYNOPSIS Last century, the Soviet Union built the mining town of Pyramiden, not far from the North Pole, on the island Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Svelbard archipelago. The Russians who went to work there were dreaming of a better life, but that dream didn't last long. The settlement has long since been abandoned. Three members of the Danish band Efterklang travel there to sample the atmosphere and make field recordings for a new album. They tap, rub and blow into everything they can find, shoving planks back and forth, climbing into pipes, and recording the sound of stacks of Soviet documents falling to the floor. The scenes of recording in Efterklang are interspersed with archive footage from a former inhabitant who moved to the settlement in 1946. In voice-over, he talks about life in Pyramiden: the expectations, the work and getting used to the extreme climate, as well as how, during a skiing competition, the people there came face-to-face with a polar bear. Described at the time as "the pearl of the Soviet Union," the photogenic town was a rewarding subject for photographers and filmmakers alike. And even now, the abandoned buildings with photos still hanging on their peeling walls are a fine visual complement to their surroundings.
FESTIVALS -CPH:DOX 2012 IDFA 2012 GOTHENBURG IFF 2013 PLANETE+ DOC FILM FESTIVAL 2013 DOCAVIV 2013 POOLINALE 2013 TRONDHEIM IFF 2013 BRUSSELS FILM FESTIVAL 2013
AWARDS BEST MUSIC DOC PLANETE+ DOC FILM FESTIVAL 2013 AUDIENCE AWARD POOLINALE 2013
THE SOUND OF BELGIUM a Film by JOSEF DEVILLÉ
Documentary / Belgium / 2012 85 Minutes / Color HD/ English - French
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS --
The Sound of Belgium’ explores the rich but untold story of Belgian electronic dance music. From the grand dance halls with Decap organs to the golden days of Popcorn; From dark and cold Electronic Body Music and New Beat to Belgian House and Techno. An alternative chronicle of unique popular music, ‘The Sound of Belgium’ goes in search of the spirit of a nation and the people that danced to it.
FLANDERS IFF 2012 IDFA 2012 DOCVILLE 2012 KAUNAS INT. FILM FESTIVAL 2013 IN-EDIT BARCELONA 2013 BAFICI 2014
AWARDS VANGUARD AWARD REDBULL ELEKTROPEDIA SPECIAL 2012 ENSOR FOR BEST BELGIAN DOCUMENTARY INT. FILM FESTIVAL OSTEND 2013 NOMINATION MARGRITTE AWARD FOR BEST BELGIAN DOCUMENTARY 2013
ELECTRO CHAABI a Film by HIND MEDDEB
Documentary / Egypt - France 2013 77 Minutes / Color HD / Arabic
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
While Egypt has traditionally been the beating heart of classical Arabic music, with legendary singers such as Oum Kalthoum and Abdel Halim Hafez, a new craze is taking over the Arab world’s most populous nation: Electro Shaabi. Inspired by the down-and-dirty music played at street parties and weddings, this new populist dance form combines a punk spirit with a hip hop attitude set against a furious cascade of drums, bass and electronic vocals. If feature-length documentaries such as Buena Vista Social Club helped introduce world audiences to the lost golden melodies of Cuban music, director Hind Meddeb is bringing the furious, sweaty rhythms of downtown Cairo to global ears with Electro Shaabi. While the beats are designed to get your feet moving, the lyrics, often laced with revolutionary fervour, offer insights into the mindset of today’s restless Egyptian youth. Unlike anything you’ve seen (or heard) before.
ISMAILIA FILM FESTIVAL 2013 BFI LONDON 2013 GÖTEBORG IFF 2013 ROTTERDAM IFF 2013 SEATTLE IFF 2014
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LAST DAYS HERE
A film by DON ARGOTT AND DEMIAN FENTON Documentary / USA 2011 90 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS Cult rock legend Bobby Liebling has been churning out genre-defining hard rock for over 36 years as the lead singer of the band Pentagram. Various acts of self-destruction, multiple band break-ups, and botched record deals have condemned his music to obscurity. Frozen for decades in his parents' basement, Bobby is finally discovered by the heavy metal underground. With the help of Sean 'Pellet' Pelletier, his friend and manager, Bobby struggles to overcome his demons.
FESTIVALS IDFA 2011 CPH:DOX 2011 BFI 2011 IN-EDIT BARCELONA 2011 SXSW 2011 SIDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2011 FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL 2011 INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON 2011 COPENHELL 2012 DOCVILLE 2012 NIGHT VISIONS 2012 TAMPERE 2012
AWARDS WINNER BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY IDFA 2011 WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON 2011 WINNER BEST INTL. MUSIC DOCUMENTARY IN-EDIT BARCELONA 2011 WINNER BEST FILM SIDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2011
THE REACH OF RESONANCE a Film by STEVE ELKINS
Documentary/ USA - Slovak Republic - Palestine - France - Czech Republic - Canada - Australia / 2011 116 Minutes / Color / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Filmed in ten countries, “The Reach Of Resonance” is a meditation on the meaning of music, which juxtaposes the creative paths of four musicians who use music to cultivate a deeper understanding of the world around them. Among them are Miya Masaoka using music to interact with insects and plants; Jon Rose, utilizing a violin bow to turn fences into musical instruments in conflict zones ranging from the Australian outback to Palestine; John Luther Adams translating the geophysical phenomena of Alaska into music; and Bob Ostertag, who explores global socio- political issues through processes as diverse as transcribing a riot into a string quartet, and creating live cinema with garbage.
INTERNATIONAL DU FILM SUR L’ART 2012 KARLOVY VARY IFF 2012 TEMPS D’IMAGES FESTIVAL 2012 BEIRUT INTL. DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2012 OXDOX IFF 2012
By contrasting the creative paths of these artists, and an unexpected connection between them by the world renowned Kronos Quartet, the film explores music not as a form of entertainment, career, or even self-expression, but as a tool to develop more deeply meaningful relationships with people and the complexities of the world they live in.
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AWARDS TEMPS D’IMAGES FILM AWARD 2012 BEST FILM ESSAY INTERNATIONAL DU FILM SUR L’ART 2012
WE DON’T CARE ABOUT MUSIC ANYWAY a Film by CÉDRIC DUPIRE and GASPARD KUENTZ Documentary / USA 2011 90 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS The amplified sound of a controlled heartbeat, the screech of an electric cello played with ferocity, turntablism at its most extreme: these are the sounds of Tokyo’s world renowned avant-garde music scene. We Don’t Care About Music Anyway foregrounds six of Japan’s most innovative musicians who are working on the fringes of culture, blurring the lines between music and noise. Their sounds are played out against the backdrop of a diverse cityscape, from desolate junkyards and monolithic warehouse spaces to overpopulated intersections, in a frenetic, choreographed montage that dizzies the mind and cranks up the heart.
FESTIVALS KARLOVY VARY IFF 2011 HOTDOCS 2011 SXSW 2010 BAFICI 2010 CINEMA DU RÉEL 2010 INDILISBOA 2010 LOCARNO IFF 2009
AWARDS WINNER BEST FILM ON ART ERA NEW HORIZON 2010 WINNER PRIX DE LA CRÉATION TRACES DE VIES 2010
DECONSTRUCTING DAD The Music, Machines and Mystery of Raymond Scott a Film by STANLEY WARNOW
DECONSTRUCTING DAD a Film by STANLEY WARNOW
Documentary / USA 2010 80 - 52 Minutes / HDV / English
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
A documentary about the life of musician, inventor and electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott, seen through the eyes of his son Stan Warnow. Scott’s career spanned 1930s swing to 1970s electro jazz and included a stint composing soundtracks for Warner Brothers cartoons. A hugely influential figure, his admirers include Frank Zappa, John Williams and Andy Partridge. Warnow probes deeply into the professional and private life of his father to construct a defining portrait of an under-recognised American icon. Various contemporary musicians reminisce about Scott on camera, including John Williams, DJ Spooky and Don Byron.
GHENT FILM FESTIVAL 2011 KARLOVY VARY IFF 2011 GLASGOW 2011 SEBASTOPOL DOCUMENTARY FF 2011 PARK CITY MUSIC GILM FESTIVAL 2010 SENSORIA FILM FESTIVAL 2009
AWARDS WINNER CRITICS AWARD SEBASTOPOL DOCUMENTARY FF 2011 WINNER DIRECTOR’S CHOICE GOLD MEDAL PARK CITY FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010
BACKYARD a Film by ÁRNI SVEINSSON
Documentary / Iceland 2010 75 Minutes / Colour, DIGIBETA / Icelandic
SYNOPSIS Árni and Árni have decided to improvise their own mini-festival, while the rest of the city is celebrating the annual Reykjavik cultural night. The lineup includes some of Iceland’s most exiting bands today like MÚM, HJALTALÍN, BORKÓ, SIN FANG BOUS, REYKJAVIK!, RETRO STEFSON AND FM BELFAST, all playing for local passers-by, tourists and backyard cats. Árni Sveinsson’s ‘Backyard’ captures the characteristic do-it-yourself attitude which has made Reykjavik’s underground scene so artistically strong and successful. Genres are completely secondary for the young musicians, and the only thing that can shut them up is heavy rain. But late summer has plenty of nuances, and the sun returns to the small enclosure, which develops into a party that is larger than anyone expected. A film that confirms that there is a way for Iceland out of the crisis. And that 101 is still the coolest zip code of the North.”
FESTIVALS KARLOVY VARY IFF 2011 DOCVILLE IFF 2011 SEATTLE IFF 2011 CPH : DOX 2010
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PAPIROSEN a Film by GASTÓN SOLNICKI
Documentary / Argentina / 2011 74 Minutes / Color HD / Spanish
SYNOPSIS
FESTIVALS
Masterfully edited from nearly 200 hours of footage, PAPIROSEN represents a decade of filmmaking, and four generations of Argentine director Gastón Solnicki’s family history, culled from 8mm home videos, a VHS bar mitzvah, and original observational material. His father, Victor, emerges as the lead figure, but Solnicki highlights the entire clan. Beginning with the birth of his nephew, Mateo, and punctuated throughout by interviews with his grandmother, Pola, a Holocaust survivor, the film’s scope is simultaneously epic and intimate. PAPIROSEN is a meditation on family, history, the importance ofstorytelling, and the power of cinema itself.
LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL 2012 ROTTERDAM IFF 2012 EDINBURGH IFF 2012 THESSALONIKI IFF 2012 JEONJU IFF 2012 BAFICI IFF 2012 JERUSALEM IFF 2012
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AWARDS JURY AWARD BEST ARGENTINEAN FILM BAFICI 2012 JURY AWARD SPECIAL JURY MENTION EDINBURGH IFF 2012 LIA AWARD JERUSALEM IFF 2012
MUMIA: LONG DISTANCE REVOLUTIONARY a Film by STEPHEN VITTORIA
Documentary / USA 2012 52 - 119 Minutes / Color HD / English
SYNOPSIS We follow the extraordinary story about the journalist and Black Panther activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is imprisoned on death row in Philadelphia, USA. Since he was found guilty in 1981 of the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner on questionable evidence, America has been divided. The right wing has expressed its undivided approval at the death sentence for "the cop killer", while Mumia has become a left-wing icon and a symbol of judicial insanity in the United States. "Long Distance Revolutionary" is a tribute to the man, who with his indomitable courage has never stopped fighting for his own - and everyone else's - freedom. The film is based on Mumia's enormous literary and journalistic talent, as we are given compelling and moving performances of his works by people such as Angela Davis and Cornel West. In this way, we are given the story of his life both by his closest, his colleagues and his many friends, but also by himself. It is a story about a strong man and activist, who never shies away from his principles - even after spending 30 years in a six square metres small cell. The aim is justice. Politics, philosophy and literature are the means.
FESTIVALS -ATHENS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2013 SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2013 CPH:DOX 2012 MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL 2012 DOC NYC 2012 GREEN MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2012
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