Film Directed by Don Letts; Examines Cultural Impact of Punk Rock
New York, NY, May 4, 2005 – IFC announced today that Punk: attitude, the network’s newest feature-length original documentary, will be showcased at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) for its official West Coast premiere on May 26, and at the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Fourth Annual Music Documentary Series presented by Audi for a sneak preview screening on May 4. This announcement comes on the heels of the film’s world premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, where it competed in the Documentary Feature category. The film will premiere on IFC Saturday, July 9 as part of IFC’s “PUNK night” which includes SLC Punk and a special episode of IFC’s original series Henry’s Film Corner, hosted by Henry Rollins.
“IFC is thrilled to bring Punk: attitude into the festival arena, where audiences can experience the true punk attitude that Don’s film and the network represent,” said Alison Bourke, IFC’s Vice President of Original Programming. “Film festivals allow us to reach both our core audience, and to incite a network of young people who share the do-it-yourself attitude that punk music revolutionized and that IFC continues to exemplify today.”
Punk: attitude is the latest addition to IFC’s increasing slate of original programming, a commitment that represents the network’s ongoing dedication to providing a voice for independent filmmakers. The documentary joins a line-up of prominent IFC documentaries, including Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, the first feature-length documentary from director Xan Cassavetes and named by the National Board of Review as one of 2004’s Top Five Documentaries; Wanderlust, created by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor); Slasher, John Landis’ first documentary, which also screened at the SXSW film festival; and A Decade Under the Influence, co-directed by Richard LaGravenese and Ted Demme, nominated for a primetime Emmy for “Outstanding Nonfiction Special” in 2004, and honored with the National Board of Review’s William K. Everson Award for Film History.
The Seattle International Film Festival, the largest festival in the U.S., will be screening the official West Coast premiere of Punk: attitude at the Experience Music Project, held at the JBL Theater on Thursday, May 26 at 9 pm. Filmmaker Don Letts will be a featured guest. The documentary will also be screened at the Broadway Performance Hall on Friday, May 27 at 9 pm. Running 25 days long and screening nearly 300 feature and short films from more than 50 countries, SIFF is considered one of the most influential festivals in the world.
AFI’s 4th Annual Music Documentary Series presented by Audi is an annual showcase of screenings to celebrate the power of music. Located at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, this year’s series features a sneak preview of Punk: attitude on Wednesday, May 4 at 8 pm with a guest appearance by filmmaker Don Letts. Like the punk enigma the film explores, the series’ documentaries examine the crooning and rapping, the head banging and heart-throbbing, the revolutions and regurgitations that drive today’s music landscape. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi and SILVERDOCS, the AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. AFI offers year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood, Skirball Cultural Center and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Punk: attitude, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Don Letts, takes an in-depth look at the unique Punk Rock movement, exploring where and how punk began and the impact it had on pop culture. The documentary, featuring punk pioneers Henry Rollins, Jim Jarmusch, Martin Rev, Tommy Ramone, and Chrissie Hynde, among many others, explores the music, fashion and attitude that came to define ‘punk’.
About IFC Television
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