The Punk Rock Movie

The post-70’s explosion of independent music in America has many traceable roots, each with a compelling story. One of its most significant has never been told until now. Drawing on never-before-seen archival footage, in-depth-interviews with musicians and producers, and a mighty soundtrack, THE SMART STUDIOS STORY reveals the pivotal Midwest link to the global rise of 1990's Alternative Rock and the unassuming Madison, Wisconsin recording studio at its center. If you’ve ever been touched by the music of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, L7 or their peers, you’ve been touched by the music created at Smart Studios, the legendary recording facility founded by Butch Vig and Steve Marker.

Long before Green Day and Blink 182 inflicted punk-rock's puncture wound on the map of mainstream music, the Descendents were at home concocting the perfect mix of pop, angst, love, and coffee. FILMAGE: The Story of DESCENDENTS/ALL follows drummer/square-peg Bill Stevenson and his 'caffeinated retardedness' as he pushes his rotating door of bandmates to 'achieve ALL,' his philosophy of going for greatness at all costs. Stevenson is a force to be reckoned with--not even grapefruit-sized brain tumors can keep him down.

In “Everybody’s Cage”, German film artist Sandra Trostel turns John Cage and his approach to art into a tangible fascination, without giving in to explain just a single bit of it.

Filmed for television at the legendary SO36 Club in Berlin, 1983.

Dead Kennedys filmed live at Arena Wien in Vienna, Austria, 1982.

Chris Packham reveals how punk rock not only may have saved his life as a teenager but how it has given it meaning and informed everything he has done ever since.

Documentary about the tour of the Swabian punk band Cluster Bomb Unit through Indonesia in 2005.

Video collection of live performances by THE STALIN in Shinjuku during the 1980s indie era.

A Dutch documentary about the history of the anarchist punk band Crass. The film features archival footage of the band, and interviews with former members Steve Ignorant, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher.

Pennsylvania Hardcore is a documentary covering a 30- year History of the underground hardcore bands from Pennsylvania. 200 interviews were done in making this film. The ones telling the story are the ones that wrote it. Many pictures and videos were giving to show how strong the states hardcore history really is.

A self-destructive punk rocker struggles with sobriety while trying to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success.

Two former geeks become 1980s punks, then party and go to concerts while deciding what to do with their lives.

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

Form small beginnings on a Victorian farm to globetrotting punk rock icons, the Cosmic Psychos became one of Australia's most influential bands. Now after thirty years of music making, 'Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust' documents the highs and lows of the group's musical career as told by members from the Melvins, L7, Mud Honey, Pearl Jam, and The Hard-Ons with other international music producers and from the Cosmic Psycho band members themselves.

The Cramps perform live from NYC's Mudd Club in 1981. Highlights include: "TV Set", "Goo Goo Muck" and "I Was a Teenage Werewolf".

Roots Time is the story of "Jah Bull" and "Baboo", two Rastafarians that sell LP records in an old colorful car field for the villages within Jamaica. By chance "Farmer Roots," his favorite radio host makes them finger in an emergency by carrying his sick girlfriend to a hospital. "Jah Bull" and "Baboo" by their Rastafarian principles, do not believe in traditional medicine and convince "Farmer Roots" to take his sick girlfriend to a known herbal doctor called Bongo Hu. Getting to the herbal doctor is much more difficult than they expected and all kinds of adventures happen along the way

A documentary about the life and music of Justin Pearson. An enigmatic underground musician and owner of Three One G records.

A fan produced, unauthorized, non profit concert documentary featuring the Misfits playing their first show since 1983. Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only reuniting with Doyle as "The Misfits" to play two Riot Fest dates in 2016 was an unparalleled example of Hell truly freezing over. A obsession with a single challenge developed: Could one rip all of the crowd shot videos floating around on YouTube and sync their audio in order to recreate the FULL 80 minute show? The answer was yes.

The peaceful order of the Sisters of No Mercy are forced to avenge the murder of one of their own when an evil priest and his co-hort 'Saint' Theresa use the order as a cover for drugs and prostitution. Sisters of No Mercy spoofs nunsploitation movies while melding movie making techniques with modern socio-political overtones and Internet found footage to create a viewing experience of meta-awareness. Sisters of No Mercy chronicles our madcap adventures as we try and nurture and develop the community needed to sustain our independent theatres and video stores here in Chicago. It's also an introduction to a little-known sub-genre of exploitation cinema called Nunsploitation. Sex! Violence! Nuns!

Adrian Edmondson narrates a documentary chronicling the story of Stiff Records, a tiny independent that took music out of the boardroom and gave it back to the fans. Stiff's successes included Nick Lowe, the Damned, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Madness, Tracey Ullman and the Pogues. Contributors include Captain Sensible, Jonathan Ross, Suggs, Shane MacGowan and label founders Jake Riviera and Dave Robinson.