Shawn Mendes: Artist Spotlight Stories

For decades, Barbara Dane lent her stellar singing voice to social-justice movements in the Bay Area and beyond, garnering an impressive FBI file along the way. Deeply respected by fellow luminaries in folk, blues and jazz, Dane built a far-reaching legacy with music, activism, and love. As Maureen Gosling’s celebratory portrait reveals, early solidarity with those suffering racial and economic injustice sparked Dane’s passion to use her talent to sustain marginalized people. Rather than chase stardom, she followed her own maternal instincts to root herself and her family among generations of activist performers. Bonnie Raitt, Jane Fonda and other notables attest to Dane’s unique way of shaping and being shaped by tumultuous social revolutions from the 1950s on. Nearing 90, Dane triumphantly tours with piano virtuoso Tammy Hall to celebrate a life of staying awake and connected, true to her ideals. One star among many illuminates so much.

Built out of “a pile of radio junk,” Bethesda, Maryland’s WHFS was a music fan’s dream of a radio station: the place on the dial to hear music listeners loved and new tunes they soon would, all with an anything-goes mentality and an ear for the sounds of social change. This doc pays loving tribute to free-form radio and WHFS’s influence over FM stations across the US from the 1960s to the 1980s. All good things come to an end, and so did the disc-jockey-driven format that WHFS pioneered and made successful, but its legacy lives on. The station’s DJs relate its history with passion in this film that captures the tenor of an era, abetted by reminiscences of performers including Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Jesse Colin Young, and others whose music found its way to ears and minds eager for something more than the same old Top 40 programming.

Behind-the-scenes footage of portuguese rapper Holly Hood's last tour.

They have raged on for forty years, cutting a swath across continents and lighting the fuse of revolutionary thought. From the pressure-cooker ghettos of England to the mighty gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, one band has forged an enduring legacy. This is their story.

A portrait of the Arab musicians Bahaa al Jomaa and Yazan Ibrahim.

Documentary film of Koda Kumi's Live Tour 2016 ~Best Single Collection. This was a seperate and special release to document her tour.

Bodø Hardcore Festival

Relive nearly three decades of post-punk Goth rock with this retrospective of Robert Smith and the Cure. The band, their friends and fellow artists discuss the Cure's success and influence, while film clips and rare photographs trace their history. Behind-the-scenes footage of location shoots, news items and the insights of rock historians also help chart the progression of this enduring group.

Caudal

A film that documents the tumultuous 2018 lives of the hardworking boy band Brockhampton from their RCA signing, the conflict that came with kicking out one of their members, and the recording process of what eventually became their fourth studio album, Iridescence.

At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams.

"Lobão - Não Há Estilo Sem Fracasso" investigates the artistic career of Lobão, one of the most famous musicians of brazilian rock in the 80s. From some interviews with people such as Edgard Scandurra, Liminha and Marcelo Sussekind, this short movie shows various points of view about music industry and it presents hits of Lobão such as "Das Tripas Coração" and "Mal de Amor".

A remarkably intimate portrait of an artist on tour navigating identity, family, expectations, and acceptance, all while reflecting on his place within the legacy of Black, queer performers.

A documentary series about the creation of Protest the Hero's full length album, "Volition". It covers every aspect of the album cycle from song-writing all the way up to the final show. A behind the scenes and historical exploration of where they came from and where the frig they are headed!

Eddy Wally in China

Cornelis Vreeswijk was one of the biggest artists in Sweden. 33 years after his death, his songs are still played daily on the radio and on various streaming services. Cornelis Vreeswijk has a special position in Swedish music history and has reached out to new generations of listeners and artists.

A documentary about the life and career of American jazz guitarist Tal Farlow

Eleven time Fiddler of the Year and even a Grammy nominee, but that's just part of the story. Though born with disabilities that left him blind and partially deaf, Michael Cleveland is considered by many to be the greatest fiddler of all time.

The New Breed Documentary chronicles a cassette compilation put out by Freddy Alva & Chaka Malik in 1989. New York Hardcore was undergoing a transition at the end of the 80's & this generational shift was exemplified by the bands that were featured on the compilation.The story of the tape is at heart the story of NYC & kids that grew up in it's five boroughs as well as related outposts in Long Island/Yonkers. A unique set of social/economic circumstances during the 70's & 80's forged the individuals that went on to make up the New York Hardcore scene. This full length documentary profiles band members/fanzine editors/record label heads & fans that made up this vibrant scene with narration by NYHC book author Tony Rettman. It's unheard of for a feature film to focus on an outdated analog format like a cassette compilation but it is through the eyes of these individuals that a spotlight is shined onto those tumultuous times & what is ultimately a tribute to a bygone era.

A short documentary on the band „The Whitest Boy Alive“ produced by Channel4 in the UK.