Sundance Films About Music

The 2008 Sundance Film Festival was a banner year for documentary films dealing with music and music creators. Five films, in particular, garnered much acclaim, not only for their musical subjects but also for their directors' fresh approach to a familiar format.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil
At 14, Toronto school friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever.Their band went on to become the "demigods of Canadian metal." But Anvil's career took a different path - straight to obscurity. Director Sacha Gervasi has concocted a wonderful, heartfelt and hilarious account of Anvil's last ditch quest for elusive fame and fortune. At its core, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a timeless tale of survival and the passion it takes to follow your dream.

CSNY: Déjà vu
A chronicle of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's recent Freedom of Speech tour, this film directed by "Bernard Shakey" is a portrait of a band and an examination of its artistic process. Part performance, part commentary and also a call for activism, CSNY: Déjà Vu speaks directly to our times and our need to never ignore the lessons of history.

Patti Smith: Dream of Life
Director Steven Sebring followed rock legend Patti Smith for more than 11 years of international travel and captured her artistry through her spoken words, performances, lyrics, interviews, paintings and photographs. He reveals Smith's complicated and charismatic personality in a film that is very much like a dream.

U2 3D
This film, co-directed by Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington, is not just a concert film, it is a concert experience. Drawn from a mesmerizing collage of South American concerts during U2's 2006 tour, U2 3D utilizes digital 3-D and surround-sound technology to plunge the audience into an almost surreal closeness to the band members. For fans of U2 and state-of-the-art entertainment, it is a visceral cinematic experience that is not to be missed.

Slingshot Hip Hop
Directed by Jackie Reem Sallou, this exhilarating documentary from the emerging Palestinian Hip Hop scene is heartbreaking, humorous, and unlike anything else you've seen on contemporary life in Israel and Palestine. Saturated with the style and sound of Palestine's first rappers, the film brings the audience close to its young protagonists as they make history armed with only their voices. Several artists featured in the documentary performed at ASCAP's Music Café, including DAM & Abeer, PR's Mohammed Alfarra and Mahmoud Shalabi.


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