In-Edit Beefeater (Festival Internacional de Cine Documental Musical de Barcelona) is my idea of Mecca. Okay, so the name may sound kinda weird and anti-vegan (Beefeater is the name of London Gin), but what’s in a name?
I’m a huge musicphile, and so are the creators of this Spanish festival who are music fans that celebrate the union of film and sound by curating the most compelling, evocative, diverse and entertaining music documentaries in the world.
The festival screens quality films, past and present, on every topic and genre imaginable from Kurt Cobain: About A Son to Lil Wayne’s The Carter.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to afford the expensive airline ticket to go to Barcelona this October, but I was lucky enough to attend the excellently curated October festival in the past. Here are a few of my favorite festival films that you can check out in the Music: Backstage channel on Redux:
If I Were You, I’d Dig Cicatriz
This is a beautifully shot 20 minute documentary that takes us to a Spanish Basque town in search of the surviving members of an eighties punk band who met in a rehab clinic. “Cicatriz” riled up an entire city before fading into oblivion, and ultimately, we witness their poetic story of self-destruction.
Global Metal Extra: Norwegian Black Metal
I’ve always considered Norway to be a peaceful, chill and mentally stable nation until the terrorist attacks in Oslo proved that there was a dark side to the country. This fantastic 25 minute extra from the In-Edit film “Global Metal” explores why death metal evolved from such a “happy” country while diving into the relationship between music, Satan and the occult.
Getting paid to take photos at a concert is probably the best job in the world next to being a rock star. Rock photographer Robert Knight has lived through it all from discovering Led Zeppelin to rocking out with the Rolling Stones, and now he’s on a quest to find the next big hit in music.
Though this is not the original feature-length film shown at the festival, it’s a short that chronicles an inspiring African street band from their first rehearsals to major international festivals. It’s a captivating story of a simple group of musicians who make their own instruments while they struggle to avoid the pitfalls of the streets.
Managing Editor
