BROADWAY IDIOT
The CBGB Film Festival taking place in New York City from Wednesday, October 9 to Sunday, October 13, 2013, announced the 2013 official film lineup of over 60 feature films and shorts. The fest will kick off with BROADWAY IDIOT, a documentary following Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and the making of his Broadway bound American Idiot; and the US theatrical premiere of the feature film, CBGB.
THE 2013 CBGB FILM FESTIVAL LINE UP
BROADWAY IDIOT
U.S. Theatrical Premiere
Director: Doug Hamilton
Broadway Idiot follows Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong from a punk rock concert at Madison Square Garden to the opening of his musical American Idiot on Broadway – only ten blocks away, but worlds apart. A look behind the curtain into the crazy journey of turning the mega-hit album into a punk rock musical – and ultimately see how the world of theater transformed Billie Joe.
CBGB
U.S. Premiere
Director: Randall Miller
CBGB follows the story of Hilly Kristal’s New York club from its conceit as a venue for Country, Bluegrass and Blues (CBGB) to what it ultimately became: the birthplace of underground rock ‘n roll and punk. When Kristal had difficulty booking country bands in his club on the Bowery he opened his doors to other kinds of rock music. Kristal had one demand of the acts he booked; they could only play original music. No top 40’s, no covers. It was the credo he lived by, support the artist at whatever the cost. Hilly Kristal ironically became known as the godfather of punk giving a chance to such bands as Blondie, Television, Ramones, Talking Heads, Dead Boys and The Police. Cast includes Alan Rickman, Ashley Greene, Malin Akerman, Stana Katic, Rupert Grint, Johnny Galecki, Justin Bartha, Freddy Rodriguez, Ryan Hurst, Richard de Klerk, Ahna O’ Reilly, Donal Logue and Katherine DuBois,
EVERY EVERYTHING: THE MUSIC, LIFE & TIMES OF GRANT HART
World Premiere
Director: Gorman Bechard
A rock & roll “Fog of War” about Hüsker Dü’s legendary singer/songwriter Grant Hart. Director Bechard will be on hand to show clips from this unfinished film and discuss what the factors were that made him so interested in making this movie
THE STARCK PROJECT
World Premiere
Director: Michael Cain
A feature documentary set in 1980s, Bible Belt Dallas at the infamous STARCK Club. This world premiere includes appearances from the late Larry Hagman, Owen Wilson and this year’s CBGB Icon Award Winner Seymour Stein
THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW
World Premiere
Director: Shaun Pettigrew
A music documentary exploring the turbulent, controversial and often unbelievable 30 year history of British post punk industrial band Killing Joke.
THE ESG STORY
World Premiere
Director: Greg Harding
The E.S.G. Story gives the real story of the legendary post-punk/funk band from their beginnings in the projects of Bronx, New York in the early 80’s as a group of 3 sisters, encouraged by their Mother to make music, to current day where their passion to create genre-bending music still drives them to make albums and tour the world as a family. E.S.G. has been exciting the world with their music for over 33 years, and show no sign of stopping. Being shown as a work in progress with director Greg Harding in attendance.
GEEK USA
World Premiere
Director: Brandon Walz
Phil is a high school senior lacking in popularity. That all changes when his band wins a battle of the bands concert and turns him from an unknown geek to the most eligible bachelor for prom. At first, Phil’s newfound popularity is boost of self-esteem, but problems arise when three very attractive girls want him as their date to the prom. Filled with 90’s nostalgia and alternative rock, Geek USA is a throwback to heartfelt and hilarious teen comedies of a now very distinguished decade.
AUTOLUMINESCENT
US Premiere
Director: Richard Lowenstein
This documentary traces the life of Rowland S Howard, who appeared on the early Melbourne punk scene. A beautifully gaunt and gothic aristocrat, the unique distinctive fury of his guitar style shot him directly into the imagination of a generation. Narrated by Henry Rollinse
DUTCH INFLUENCE
US Premiere
Directors: Samuel Comazzi, Hatib el Khatib
The beat starts to rise, a sea of hands fills the air and the crowd surges. Welcome to the world’s most dynamic new music scene. Buckle up for an energetic ride as Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Afrojack, Laidback Luke and other leaders in the House Dance movement invite us into their lives. Recognized by few in Holland, but at Miami Music Week they’re superstars who are rapidly redefining a genre and taking over the globe’s hottest clubs.
HEART OF BRUNO WIZARD
US Premiere
Director: Elisabeth Rasmussen
Bruno Wizard is a London punk musician who became an underground legend for his original performances and ‘mystery man’ status in the mid 70’s. He performed at the Roxy club alongside The Jam, Generation X and The Wire, and was part of the ‘Blitz kids’ scene, squatting with the Warren Street mafia. His loathing of the establishment and conventional music industry made him reject record company contracts and follow his own heart and principles at any cost.
LIVIN OUT ROCK N ROLL
US Premiere
Director: Paulo Sedarazzi
Livin out Rock n Roll is about the dirty disregarded history of the London 80s rock scene, the story of the Baby Teenage Idols as told by the people who somehow manage to survive it.
LOCKED IN A GARAGE BAND
US Premiere
Director: Jennifer Westcott
The feuding members of a high school rock band get locked in their garage for a day. With loyalties divided and betrayals revealed, six teens on the brink of adulthood re-examine what they thought living the rock ‘n roll dream was all about. Starring Scott Lyster, Andrew Jenkins, Ella Simon, Katelyn Wallace, Brittney Wilson and Luke Jennings, LOCKED IN A GARAGE BAND is the first feature film from Vancouver Island’s intrepid filmmaking sisters, Jennifer Westcott and Victoria Westcott. “Move over The Breakfast Club, there’s a new teen cult comedy in town.” Views from the Edge
PAUL KELLY, STORIES OF ME
US Premiere
Director: Ian Darling
PAUL KELLY, STORIES OF ME charts the lives, loves and losses of Paul Kelly, Australia’s most gifted contemporary singer-songwriter. Over 40 years, Paul Kelly has seen failure and success. And he has the songs to show for it.
PLEASE TO MEET ME
US Premiere
Director: Archie Borders
The lead singer of a seminal punk band reunites with his former partner to form a band for a single day. Starring Aimee Mann, John Doe, Loudon Wainwright.
ROMEO AND JULIET: A LOVE SONG
US Premiere
Director: Tim Van Dammen
A hip-hop operatic version of the Shakespeare classic comes to life in this brand new version of the timeless and tragic tale.
SVENGALI
US Premiere
Director: John Hardwick
Svengali tells the story of “Dixie” (Johnny Owen), a postman from South Wales, and a music fanatic. All his life he’s dreamed of discovering a great band and then one day, trawling through YouTube, he finds them…’The Premature Congratulations’. He hunts them down and offers them his management services. They are young, arrogant, sexy, and utterly magnificent. Co-starring Martin Freeman
THE MONTREAL UNDERGROUND
US Premiere
Director: Giuliano Bossa
This documentary examines the life and struggles of musicians in the DIY local scene of Montreal following different musicians and bands that are and have been keeping the scene alive for more than 25 years, and through it, the evolution of the city. The rise and fall of venues, of the music industry, of different genres, and the fight to continue making music against all odds.
BABE AND RICKY’S INN
East Coast Premiere
Director: Ramin Niami
The film chronicles the last days of one of the most unique and vibrant blues clubs in the world and based in LA.
BAD BRAINS: A BAND IN DC
East Coast Premiere
Director: Mandy Stein, Benjamin Logan
How four young men from Washington DC changed music forever.
BAYOU MAHARAJAH: THE TRAGIC GENIUS OF JAMES BOOKER
East Coast Premiere
Director: Lily Keber
Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker explores the life, times and music of piano legend James Booker, who Dr. John described as “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced.”
BROTHERS HYPNOTIC
East Coast Premiere
Director: Reuben Atlas
Eight brothers, extraordinary brass musicians from Chicago’s South Side, test their brotherhood and their father’s legacy against mounting mainstream success.
CHURCHES, SALONS, BARS
East Coast Premiere
Director: Tyler Casey
Indie rock band Titanmoon makes an album in Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, along with people from all over the globe.
¡CUATRO!
East Coast Premiere
Director: Tim Wheeler
A look at how Green Day’s three-album collection – ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tre! – came together as the trio went back to its roots.
DAVID BROMBERG UNSUNG TREASURE
East Coast Premiere
Director: Beth Kruvant
A look into the life of David Bromberg who is still playing his tunes in front of audiences around the world.
DON’T ASK ME QUESTIONS
East Coast Premiere
Director: Michael Gramaglia
Don’t Ask Me Questions is about the life and music career of Graham Parker and the Rumor. Featuring Bruce Springsteen, Paul Rudd, Judd Apatow and many others, the film follows the bands short career of international acclaim and their unlikely reunion 30 years after breaking up.
DON’T FOLLOW ME (I’M LOST)
East Coast Premiere
Director: William Miller
An intimate “fly on the wall” documentary about iconoclastic rocker Bobby Bare Jr., son of country music legend Bobby Bare, and his struggles dealing with the repercussions of a perpetual life on the road- the constant separation and the disconnect from loved ones back home.
FILMAGE: THE STORY OF THE DESCENDENTS/ALL
East Coast Premiere
Director: Matt Riggle, Deedee Lacour
The story of the influential punk band and their endless quest for pop, angst, love and coffee.
HOW TO GROW A BAND
East Coast Premiere
Director: Mark Matteo
Chris Thile is at a crossroads. His marriage has ended and his platinum- selling band, Nickel Creek, has gone on hiatus. But Thile, a prodigy who has defied expectations since he picked up the mandolin at age five, has a plan.
JUST LIKE BEING THERE
East Coast Premiere
Director: Scout Shannon
A documentary about cutting-edge poster artists like Daniel Danger and Jay Ryan who have breathed new life into the art form.
LAST FAST RIDE
East Coast Premiere
Director: Lily Scourtis Ayers
She was smart, beautiful and talented, and as lead singer of The Insaints, would-be rock star Marian Anderson reigns as one of the Bay Area’s most provocative and controversial lead singers of the ’90’s punk scene. Narrated by pop-culture icon Henry Rollins.
LOUDER THAN LOVE: THE GRANDE BALLROOM
East Coast Premiere
Director: Tony D’Annunzio
While the rest of the country was listening to the laid back sounds of the West Coast during the “Summer of Love” in 1967, Detroit was creating a sound that was “LOUDER THAN LOVE.” Featuring footage of such rock icons like Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Wayne Kramer, James Williamson, Slash, Don Was, B.B King, Henry Rollins and many more tell the story of the Grande Ballroom and its effect on not only the Detroit Rock scene but on the World of Rock Music.
MY FATHER & THE MAN IN BLACK
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jonathan Holiff
Starring: Johnny Cash, Saul Holiff, June Carter
My Father and The Man In Black tells the inside story of “bad boy” Johnny Cash, his talented but troubled manager, Saul Holiff, and a son searching for his father in the shadow of a legend. Before there was Johnny and June, there was Johnny and Saul.
SACRIFICIAL YOUTH
East Coast Premiere
Director: Joe Losurdo
Sacrificial Youth is a Hardcore Punk musical that tells the story of TJ, a teenager caught at the crossroads of growing up and fight back.
STRUTTER
East Coast Premiere
Director: Allison Anders, Kurt Voss
An aspiring L.A. rocker loses both his band and his girl, but gains the friendship of his own local rock hero in this sweet and humanistic comedy.
THE LIBRARIAN & THE BANJO
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jim Carrier
The inspiring true story of a music librarian Dena Epstein who labored 25 years to document the musical contributions of African Slaves to the New World. Her work, now considered classic, shattered myths and stereotypes, proved that the banjo was a slave instrument, and sparked a remarkable revival of black string band music.
THE SCENE: AN EXPLORATION OF MUSIC IN TORONTO
East Coast Premiere
Director: Josh Jensen
A documentary film project that chronicles the lives of independent musicians as they build their careers in the Canadian music industry.
TROPICALIA
East Coast Premiere
Director: Marcelo Machado
Set Against the turbulent atmosphere of the 1960’s, Tropicalia is a feature length documentary exploring the Brazilian artistic movement known as Tropicalia, and the struggle its artists endured to protect their right to freely express revolutionary thought against the traditional Brazilian music of that time.
VIVA VIVA
East Coast Premiere
Director: Carolina Pfister
Steeped in the riotous music of urban chaos, meet two generations shaping a global culture of dissent. From the slums to the city center of San Paulo, Brazil, the punks invite us to open our eyes. Viva Viva!
LED ZEPPELIN PLAYED HERE
NY Premiere
Director: Jeff Krulik
Is it just an old fable that Led Zeppelin played the Wheaton Youth Center in Wheaton MD during their first historic tour in January 1969? Or did it really happen??????
NEVER RECORDS-YOU’RE NOT LISTENING
NYC Premiere
Director: Jason Wyche
A feature length documentary set in Northern Ireland by Jason Wyche about artist/musician Ted Riederer and his ongoing Never Records project. The documentary explores the power of art and music to unite, educate, and uplift a community.
GREENWICH VILLAGE; THE MUSIC THAT DEFINED A GENERATION
NY Premiere
Director: Laura Archibald
A feature-length documentary about the Greenwich Village music scene and how it sparked everlasting political, social and cultural changes. For the first time, the greatest singer-songwriters, authors and performers from Greenwich Village reflect on how they collectively became the voice of a generation. Through poignant interviews, rare archival footage and new live performances, GREENWICH VILLAGE: MUSIC THAT DEFINED A GENERATION tells a story about community, courage and most importantly – music.
WHO DO I THINK I AM
NY Premiere
Director: Nick Mead
Clarence Clemons goes on a spiritual journey across China. This production is a work in progress and part of the CBGB Film Forum series.