SXSW 2015: 24 Beats Per Second
Showcasing the sounds, culture & influence of music & musicians, with an emphasis on documentary.
List activity
11K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
20 titles
- DirectorAlexander DunnStarsDamon AlbarnArthur BakerAfrika Bambaataa808 is a documentary film about the inspiring story of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. It's the tale of the birth of electronic music, and how one small machine changed the musical landscape forever... by accident. It's the story of a sound that has been embraced by the world's top producers and performers, and has been name-checked on a whole host of hit records. Associated with numerous musical styles crossing both time and genre, its defining sounds are as relevant now as they ever has been. It defined hip hop and modern dance culture and it's sound continues to deliver dancefloor smashing beats today.
- DirectorColin HanksStarsRuss SolomonMichael SolomonHeidi Cotler'All Things Must Pass' is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Tower Records, and its legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon.
- DirectorWes OrshoskiStarsGaye AdvertFred ArmisenRoger ArmstrongA history of the influential English punk band The Damned from their inception in 1976 through to 2015.
- DirectorBrendan TollerStarsMx Justin Vivian BondJohn CaleJudy CollinsThe life and times of music manager and publicist Danny Fields, who worked with some of the biggest acts of the '60s and '70s, including the Doors, Cream, Lou Reed, Nico, Judy Collins, the Stooges and the Ramones.
- DirectorMariana AydarJoaquim CastroEduardo NazarianStarsLuiz AlvesAnastáciaNana CaymmiThe feature documentary Dominguinhos is about the life and the work of one of the great masters of Brazilian music, interspersing archival images and concerts passages, plus exclusive gigs with artists in his remarkable career.
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsWilko JohnsonRoger DaltreyCharlie ChanTells the extraordinary story of legendary musician Wilko Johnson who, diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer and given a few months to live, managed to accept his fate with uplifting positivity and defy the death sentence handed down to him.
- DirectorChristian KellerStarsSofía EspinosaMarco PérezTatiana del RealA rebellious and controversial Mexican pop icon becomes a huge success with her style and catchy songs, but a larger than life scandal will rock her world entirely.
- DirectorAdam Bhala LoughStarsFrank AndrewsDanny BrownShelby FeroA documentary that follows electronic musician Hot Sugar in his quest to capture, transform and extract meaning from the sounds and silences of every day life.
- DirectorStephen KijakPaul MarchandStarsJaco PastoriusJerry JemmottRobert TrujilloJACO" tells the story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who single-handedly changed the course of modern music by redefining the sound and the role of the electric bass guitar.
- DirectorAlan BergStarsMichael CorcoranKenneth FreemanAlexis JonesFor 30 years, Bishop Fred Jones and his family have performed on the southern gospel circuit, largely unseen by those outside the Pentecostal faith. When the Bishop, despite objections from many within his faith, decided to take his family's musical ministry outside the church, he unexpectedly connected with the oddest of allies -- a jaded, atheistic rock critic, who also happened to be a gospel historian. To Michael Corcoran, the Jones Family Singers represent a living link to a style of gospel he thought had disappeared. These most unlikely of friends bonded through perhaps one shared trait -- a deeply rooted rebelliousness.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsKurt CobainWendy O'ConnorDon CobainAn authorized documentary on the late musician Kurt Cobain, from his early days in Aberdeen, Washington to his success and downfall with the grunge band Nirvana.
- DirectorBrad AllgoodGraham TownsleyJuliana Penaranda-LoftusLandfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra. An unlikely orchestra made out of recycled trash. As this group takes its inspiring spectacle of trash-into-music around the world, we follow the lives of a garbage picker, a music teacher and a group of children from a Paraguayan slum. Landfill Harmonic is a beautiful story about the transformative power of music, which also highlights two vital issues of our times: poverty and waste pollution.
- DirectorJosh BishopStarsTomi FujiyamaElijah Wood'Made in Japan' is the remarkable story of Tomi Fujiyama, the world's first Japanese country-music superstar. It is a funny yet poignant multicultural journey through music, marriage, and the impact of the corporate world on the dreams of one woman.
- DirectorJessica EdwardsStarsMavis StaplesJeff TweedyAdam AyresHer family group, the Staple Singers, inspired millions and helped propel the civil rights movement with their music. After 60 years of performing, legendary singer Mavis Staples' message of love and equality is needed now more than ever.
- DirectorLes BlankStarsLeon RussellEric AndersenRichard V. ArmstrongLes Blank's first feature-length documentary captures music and other events at Leon Russell's Oklahoma recording studio during a three-year period (1972-1974).
- DirectorJoe Nick PatoskiSir Doug & The Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove tells the story of Doug Sahm, the wild man musicians' musician and unsung hero of Texas music. A country music child prodigy and teenage rhythm & blues dynamo who caused a riot at his San Antonio high school, Sahm emerged as an international rock star leading the Sir Douglas Quintet. He landed in San Francisco just in time for the Summer of Love in 1967. He returned to Texas as the cowboy hippie rocker who built a burgeoning music scene in Austin in before forming the Tex-Mex super group The Texas Tornados. A kinetic, quirky character with a solid sense of place as well as an innate wanderlust, Doug Sahm's story is the story of Texas music.
- DirectorDon HardyStarsGerald CasaleLes ClaypoolChris CombsTheory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective known as The Residents. A story that spans 40 years and is clouded in mystery. Many details surrounding the group are secret, including the identities of its members. Our film takes viewers inside this incredibly private group with unprecedented access to their archives and their recent 40th anniversary tour. The Residents have released more than 60 albums, performed all over the world and inspired many people to be weird, take chances and find their own voice. Now, our film will introduce The Residents to a whole new generation.
- DirectorJohanna SchwartzStarsAliou TouréOumar TouréGarba TouréIn 2012, jihadists took control of Northern Mali, imposing one of the harshest interpretations of sharia law in recent years and, crucially for Mali, banning music. Radio stations were destroyed, instruments were burned and overnight, Mali's musicians were forced into hiding or exile where many remain even now. Follow these musicians as they fight to keep music alive. Featuring rare footage of the jihadists, a glimpse at life in refugee camps and the perilous journeys home to war-ravaged cities, THEY WILL HAVE TO KILL US FIRST is a tale of courage in the face of conflict as Malian musicians refuse to give up the fight for their right to sing.
- DirectorMathew Ramirez WarrenLatin boogaloo is New York City. It is a product of the melting pot, a colorful expression of 1960s Latino soul, straight from the streets of El Barrio, the South Bronx and Brooklyn. Starring Latin boogaloo legends like Joe Bataan, Johnny Colon and Pete Rodriguez, 'We Like It Like That' explores this fascinating moment in Latin music history, through original interviews, music recordings, live performances, dancing and rare archival footage and images. From its origins to its recent resurgence in popularity, 'We Like It Like That' tells the story of a sound that redefined a generation and was too funky to keep down.
- DirectorWaraluck Hiransrettawat EveryDavid ReeveStarsBoonchai ApintanaphongWorranuj KanakakornPrasert KeawpukdeeY/OUR MUSIC immerses itself in the world of Thai musical expressions, from traditional music to labor songs and classical pop to urban indie music, spanning different locales and generations. As nine musicians display their musical expression, the rural or urban environments that influenced their sound are also explored. The hands that play traditional instruments amid the red dust clouds, the work songs being hummed in front of grains awaiting harvest, and the indie music born out of concrete basements create a melodious ecosystem. The film creates a sensory journey through some of the sounds and environments that encapsulate the music, from the noisy polluted streets of Bangkok to the calm, arid fields of Isan. While inhabiting different worlds, the musicians are linked by the same passion to bring their artistic aspirations to the fore and survive outside the pop mainstream.