The stories of music in Scopitone
02 January 2019
Enjoy music documentaries and live extras in a unique setting
Join us again this year at IFFR’s free-entry and lively Scopitone Café at Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg Kleine Zaal for a surprising selection of music documentaries. These films show that music – from soul to punk to islamic religious chants – is often a highly political and social experience. Drinks at the bar during the screening and live extras afterwards are sure to make for an animated evening.
Carmine Street Guitars is Ron Mann’s portrait of a music shop in Greenwich Village. Its owner, luthier Rick Kelly, makes guitars for both famous and less famous musicians using wood of old New York buildings, which, he says, has a more resonant quality. As the neighbourhood grows more wealthy, Kelly tries to hold on to his own way of doing things.
Una Banda de Chicas is a direct and unpolished portrait of the alternative music scene in Buenos Aires, as seen from a strictly female perspective. Former musician Marilina Giménez introduces a colourful series of local acts by women who control their own look and sound – and are not afraid to challenge the prevailing norms.
Everything recorded after 1949 is junk, says American music expert Chris King. While You Live, Shine by Paul Duane follows King as he travels to Greece to dive into a centuries-old transcendental music tradition, which some musicians are keeping alive through music, song and dance in Epirus every summer.
For the full list of Scopitone documentaries at IFFR 2019, see below.
EarWORM
For three nights, you can also enjoy music documentaries in WORM with consecutive music performances and parties deep into the night. One of the selected films is Bastiaan Bosma’s De koning van de Nederlandstalige rock & roll about the legendary underground Rotterdam rock 'n' roll artist Ricky de Sire, who will give a live performance after the screening.
The rest of the live performances at both Scopitone and EarWORM will be announced later. Scopitone is open every night from Friday 25 January to Friday 1 February in Theater Rotterdam Kleine Zaal while its counterpart EarWORM runs from Monday 28 January to Wednesday 30 January in WORM. De koning van de Nederlandstalige rock & roll and Wages of the Imagination are two short films and will screen consecutively on the same date. All EarWORM films will be screened again on Friday 1 February as part of IFFR’s regular film programme.
Scopitone:
Una banda de chicas, Marilina Giménez, 2018, Argentina, international premiere
Carmine Street Guitars, Ron Mann, 2018, Canada
Closer to God, Annette Berger/Grete Jentzen, 2018, Switzerland
Le Grand Bal, Laetitia Carton, 2018, France
I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story, Jessica Leski, 2018, Australia
It All Begins with a Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter, Chusy, 2018, USA
Mr. Soul!, Melissa Haizlip/Samuel Pollard, 2018, USA, international premiere
While You Live, Shine, Paul Duane, 2018, Ireland/Greece/USA
EarWORM:
De koning van de Nederlandstalige rock & roll, Bastiaan Bosma, 2019, Netherlands, world premiere
Niblock's Sound Spectrums − Within Invisible Rivers, Thomas Maury, 2019, France, world premiere
A Punk Daydream, Jimmy Hendrickx, 2019, Belgium/Indonesia, world premiere
Wages of the Imagination, Dries Meddens, 2019, Belgium, world premiere