Backbeat

Get ready for a brand new line-up of music docos and concert footage, with an eclectic set-list that includes heavy metal, reggae, soul, rock and more.

Madman

Packages

ORBIT

(65 min)
… Orbit 2008 takes a surprising spin around everything that’s fresh and exciting in Australian and New Zealand music videomaking. Haunting and longing, sweet and satirical; these clips ru… More >

Feature Films

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL

(USA, 80 min)
This isn't Spinal Tap, this is Anvil.… With endorsements from Lars Ulrich, Slash, and Lemmy from Motörhead, Anvil is the greatest Canadian metal band you've never heard of. School buddies … More >

BLIP FESTIVAL: REFORMAT THE PLANET

(USA, 82 min)
… "That goofy old Super Mario Bros jingle can be turned into one kick-ass techno tune in the right hands." - Cinematical… … Few people would consider an original Nintendo or Gameboy… More >

BOB MARLEY: FREEDOM ROAD

(USA, 54 min)
"No one in rock and roll has left a musical legacy that matters more or one that matters in such fundamental ways." - Robert Palmer… Mixing mysticism with politics in an inspired musical union,… More >

CSNY DÉjÀ VU (M)

(USA, 96 min)
"No one song can change the world. But that doesn't mean its time to stop singing." - Neil Young… There's a sense of déjà vu for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as they reunite to … More >

GLOBAL METAL

(Canada, 93 min)
7 Countries, 3 Continents, 1 Tribe. … Headbangers, filmmakers and anthropologists Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen once again hit the road to discover the impact heavy metal music has had on cultures… More >

KATE BUSH: UNDER REVIEW

(UK, 87 min)
“For me, Kate Bush was always a trump card when the tiresome ‘question’ of female artistic genius came up.” – ObserverArguably the most unique female musician ever, Kate… More >

LOU REED'S BERLIN (PG)

(USA, 85 min)
“I don’t like nostalgia unless it’s mine.” – Lou ReedLou Reed’s Berlin album, released in 1973 to commercial failure and media excoriation, has been called Lou Ree… More >

NIGHT JAMES BROWN SAVED BOSTON, THE

(USA, 74 min)
“It’s that good, from the incredible opening sentence to the surprising ending. Don’t miss it. Really.” – New York Post… On 4 April, 1968, Martin Luther King was a… More >

PETE SEEGER: THE POWER OF SONG

(USA, 93 min)
“I don’t know if Pete Seeger believes in saints, but I believe he is one.” – Chicago Sun-Times… A man and a musician who believes music can change the world, Pete Seeger… More >

RESPECT YOURSELF: THE STAX RECORDS STORY

(USA, 113 min)
“Motown had the sweet, but Stax had the funk.” – Rufus Thomas, Stax Artist… In an era of heightened racism and segregation, white bank clerk Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle… More >

SWEET LADY WITH THE NASTY VOICE, THE

(USA, 72 min)
“You can hear lots of rocking girl singers who owe an unconscious debt to a woman like Wanda [Jackson]. She was standing up on stage with a guitar in her hand while other gals were still asking… More >

UPSETTER: THE LIFE & MUSIC OF LEE 'SCRA…

(USA, 70 min)
“I’d like you to meet a genius.”… Some people call Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry a prophet; others claim he’s a madman. Seeing him in the opening scenes of this docume… More >

WILD COMBINATION - A PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR…

(USA, 71 min)
“Before I even heard Arthur’s music, I was intrigued. My friend described a long forgotten gay disco auteur in a farmer’s plaid shirt, obsessively listening to mixes of his own musi… More >

WRECKING CREW, THE

(USA, 97 min)
“People will finally understand what it was like to be in the trenches of Rock and Roll… [this film is] the closest thing to being there.” – Hal Blaine, drummer for The Wreck… More >