"The Star-Spangled Banner" is known by all, treasured for its powerful melody and stirring lyrics. And yet, only about 40% of U.S. citizens know all the words. And even fewer know their meaning. Join us as we travel back to 1814, when Washington D.C. was under British attack during the "Second War of Independence," and the very bricks and mortar of American democracy were reduced to smoking rubble. We examine the battle that inspired witness Francis Scott Key to immortalize its final moments, then reveal how his poem transformed into an anthem.
This Is Sparklehorse (2016)
An comprehensive look at the life and music of Mark Linkous, a influential figure in the alternative music scene. Critically-acclaimed Linkous had a dramatic life that saw him battle with drug and alcohol addiction, paralysis, and debilitating depression that resulted in his eventual suicide. Mark's music was heralded by his peers and critics; a mix of delicate pop, discordant punk and melodic odyssey; it has been described as defiantly surrealist with all manner of references to smiling babies, organ music, birds, and celestial bodies. The film mines Marks life and music and navigates the sacrifices and highs and lows of his art.
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened... (2016)
This film from acclaimed theater director Lonny Price charts the journey of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" in the 30-plus years since the musical debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1981.
X-Ray Audio: The Documentary (2016)
Cold War Leningrad: In a culture where the recording industry was ruthlessly controlled by the state, music lovers discovered an extraordinary alternative means of reproduction: they repurposed used x-ray film as the base for records of forbidden songs. Giving blood every week to earn enough money to buy a recording lathe, one bootlegger Rudy Fuchs cuts banned music onto such discarded x-rays to be sold on street corners by shady dealers. It was ultimate act of punk resistance, a two-fingered salute to the repressive regime that gave a generation of young Soviets access to forbidden Western and Russian music, an act for which Rudy and his fellow bootleggers would pay a heavy price.
Qu'est-ce que c'est? (2016)
An experimental docu-fiction short from hours of collected material shot by the director. Different scenes, from drunk parties with friends to shots of the Dutch landscape during a train ride, are cut together to see if a narrative story can be constructed from nothing but randomly shot footage.
Welcome To The Dark Ages (2019)
In 2017 Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, formerly The KLF, returned after 23 years of silence with a new project. They were no longer a pop group but undertakers, building the People's Pyramid out of bricks made from the ashes of dead people.
Gimme Shelter (1970)
A detailed chronicle of the famous 1969 tour of the United States by the British rock band The Rolling Stones, which culminated with the disastrous and tragic concert held on December 6 at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, an event of historical significance, as it marked the end of an era: the generation of peace and love suddenly became the generation of disillusionment.
Bising: Noise & Experimental Music in Indonesia (2014)
Indonesian noise, the largest scene of extreme and independent music scene is the biggest in South-East Asia. This documentary gives an extensive overview with numerous bands, artists and speakers, all from Jakarta, Bandung, Bekasi, Yogyakarta, and Tokyo, who freely talk about their own definitions and approaches to noise music.
Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr. (2021)
The American indie rock band “Dinosaur Jr.” is a radical group with an unmistakeable sound. The film tells the story the three charismatic guys in the band: J. Mascis (vocals, guitar), Lou Barlow (bass) and Murph (drums).
Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed (2023)
An exploration of the personal and creative struggles behind the music of four-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Isbell.
Zydeco (1984)
Shot on location in rural Southwestern Louisiana, Zydeco combines cinema verite style footage, interviews and musical performance to present a colorful, joyful portrait of the zydeco musicians in their culture. Featuring Dolon Carriere, Armand Ardoin, and Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin. A film by Nicholas R. Spitzer. Color, 57 minutes.
A proposito de Rodriguez (2010)
Ramón Rodriguez, lead singer of Madee starts his solo career as The New Raemon. The movie documents the transition with interviews and live performances.
Bob Marley & The Wailers: Capital Records Rehearsal (1973)
10/24/1973 Capitol Records Rehearsal Session, Capitol Record Tower, Los Angeles, CA SET: You can't blame the Youth. Slave Driver, Burnin' and Lootin', Rastaman Chant, Duppy Conqueror, Midnight Raver, Put it on, Stop that Train, Kinky Reggae, Stir it up, No more trouble, Get up stand up
Behind a Hill (2012)
This documentary is a journey into our own fascination, a collection of portraits of folk musicians living in New England, and a study of the ground on which their music is founded. We listen to them as they tell their stories and play their music. First and foremost, Behind a Hill is a tribute to these musicians and a rare peep into the house parties and basement jams of New England, in the northwestern corner of the USA, with the vain hope attached that maybe you, the viewer, will grow as fond of the music as we have. When we first encountered these musicians, we were overwhelmed by the quality of their musical output. We were entranced by the melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and tempos and every other element that constitutes a song (or, as is often the case, a piece of abstract drone music, heavy feedback, or someone banging a steel pipe against a bag of dirt while chanting in a yet undiscovered language, or...).
At the Haunted End of the Day (1981)
A documentary by Tony Palmer on English composer Sir William Walton (1902–1983), made shortly before his death. The film includes the only full-length interview ever recorded with Walton. Filmed at his home on Ischia and in Oxford, London & Oldham, it includes contributions from Laurence Olivier, Sacheverell Sitwell and Lady Susana Walton. Specially performed extracts of his music are conducted by Simon Rattle in his first substantial contribution to television when he was in his early 20s, with Simon Preston, Julian Bream, Yvonne Kenny, Yehudi Menuhin, Iona Brown, John Shirley-Quirk, Elgar Howarth & Ralph Kirshbaum, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford & Los Paraguayos.
We Who Wait: The Adverts & TV Smith (2012)
A documentary about the life and career of UK singer-songwriter and Adverts frontman, TV Smith.
Pop féminisme : des militantes aux icônes pop (2020)
An overview of 21st-century feminism through the lens of pop culture.
Jongens van de Landbouwschool (2007)
Documentary about the Dutch punkband 'De Klojos'. and it sucks bigtime
The Red Elvis (2007)
A documentary on the late American entertainer Dean Reed, who became a huge star in East Germany after settling there in 1973.
Woodstock (1970)
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.