CIFF unveils first wave of 2016 films, all with a musical theme
CBC News | Posted: August 3, 2016 5:22 PM | Last Updated: August 3, 2016
This fall's Calgary International Film Festival will include a special screening at the National Music Centre
The Calgary International Film Festival unveiled a first wave of music-themed films Wednesday that will be included in its 2016 lineup this fall.
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The 17th annual CIFF runs Sept. 21 to Oct. 2. and will include a special screening at the new National Music Centre of The American Epic Sessions, a documentary "about the machine that revolutionized modern sound recording."
Check out a synopsis of that film, and half a dozen others announced Wednesday, below.
The American Epic Sessions
The music industry changed forever in 1925 when American record labels began using the brand-new technology of electronic amplifiers and recording machines.
Using the only remaining model of that original equipment, this film includes performances of modern musicians like Elton John, Beck and Alabama Shakes.
The film's billing promises: "The American Epic Sessions ties together history and art in a way that's impossible to resist."
Hired Gun
This rock doc brings the prolific musicians who play in the shadows behind some of the world's biggest bands into the spotlight.
These "hired guns" are masters of their craft and have helped acts like KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Joel, Alice Cooper and P!NK put on shows on the world's biggest stages and pull off high-intensity recording sessions.
"Hired Gun details the highs and lows of touring life, the demands of session schedules, and the dedication required to play backseat to some of rock's most iconic musicians," the film's billing reads.
Android in La-La Land
English singer/songwriter Gary Numan topped the charts in the 1970s with electronic hits like Are Friends Electric and Cars then effectively disappeared a decade later.
This film documents the crippling anxiety and depression he suffered as he tried to navigate the relentless gaze of the public eye while living with undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome, and chronicles Numan's return to the studio for the first time in nearly a decade
"Numan unabashedly and honestly recounts the stresses of stardom, Asperger's and the intense struggle to build a life and re-establish a career after his initial fame had waned," the billing reads.
Sonita
This official selection at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival tells the story of a poor, undocumented 18-year-old girl living illegally in the slums of Tehran who rebels against Iran's an oppressive culture with rap music and art.
Her challenges include a conservative mother who wants to sell her for $9,000 as a bride.
"Filmed in Tehran, Sonita puts a real name and face on the familiar story of feminine oppression and dehumanization," reads the film's billing.
Sidemen: Long Road to Glory
Featuring iconic blues musicians Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin and Willie "Big Eyes" this film explores the ups and downs of achieving success in the musical world.
"In some of their last interviews together, the trio outlines their experiences as 'sidemen' to the well-known blues prodigies Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, as well as their time on the road touring," reads the film's billing.
"They demonstrate that passion and determination can overcome difficulty on the road to success."
Geezer
Former Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong stars in this story about an aging punk rocker who finds himself a decade into his band's "indefinite hiatus" and living a comfortable family life in the suburbs.
When his family forgets his 40th birthday, though, he goes a bit off the rails and rents fancy New York hotel suite to throw himself a proper rock-star bash in an effort to relive his glory days.
"Throughout the day Perry encounters crazy former bandmates and an ex-girlfriend who presents an opportunity to revive his stalled career, all while trying to stay on top of his family duties," reads the film's billing.
Stronger Than Bullets
When the Arab Spring took hold in Libya in February 2011, violence ripped the country apart but music brought its people together.
The end of Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year dictatorship also ended his censorship of Western music but, as this film chronicles, musicians from all walks of Libyan life found their hopes for a new era of freedom would not be so easily won.
"As the remnants of the old empire cling to power, the musicians find their very right to play threatened," the billing reads.