Punk On Film at Triskel Christchurch 19- 22 July is a film season celebrating the legacy of the seminal punk movement that epitomises late 70’s Britain. The Damned: Don’t You Wish We Were Dead is a programme highlight with director Wes Orshoski at Triskel on Tuesday 21 July to introduce the screening. The Sex Pistols documentary The Filth and The Fury, the 1977 film Punk In London and Rude Boy, the part fiction – part rockumentary film about The Clash, are also part of the season.
“I’m really honored to be bringing The Damned: Don’t You Wish We Were Dead to Cork, and to the Triskel,” says New York based filmmaker Wes Orshoski. “This screening will happen in the middle of a bucket-list tour of Ireland for me, and I can’t wait to meet some punk fans in Cork and trade stories. Any and all U2 stories are welcome!”
The Damned are cited as the first UK punk band to be recognised in America and though less of a household name than other bands of the era they were an integral part of the movement both sides of the Atlantic. It premiered at last year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas to rave reviews. Founding band member Captain Sensible welcomes the film saying their time to hit the big screen is long awaited and they have some real stories to tell!
The Filth and the Fury is Julien Temple’s second documentary about the infamous punk band and tells the story from the viewpoint of the band members themselves. Taking its title from a tabloid headline, Temple's documentary charts the rise, decline and fall of The Sex Pistols from their humble beginnings in London to their disintegration in early 1978.
Referencing the historical context of Britain in the 1970’s, this film was seen as an opportunity for the Pistols to tell their side of the story, through interviews with the surviving members of the group, footage shot during the era, and outtakes from his previous portrait The Great Rock and Roll Swindle.
Rude Boy is a semi-documentary look at The Clash as told through the story of Ray, a fictional fan who leaves his job to become a roadie for the band. The scripted story is juxtaposed with actual public events of the day, including political demonstrations and Clash concerts. The film includes various concert appearances such as their performance at ‘Rock against Racism’ in 1976.
Punk in London is a contemporary documentary following the explosion of the punk genre. Directed and written by Wolfgang Büld and produced in 1977, this film gives a raw first-hand account of the scene at its apex from the bandwagon-jumpers to those who were trying to maintain a sense of unity and purpose before its imminent implosion. Bands featured include The Clash, X-Ray Spex, and The Adverts.
Sunday 19 July @ 8.15pm - Sex Pistols: The Filth and The Fury
Monday 20 July @ 8.15pm - Punk In London
Tuesday 21 July @ 8.15pm - The Dammed: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead (followed by filmmaker Q&A)
Wednesday 22 July @ 8.15pm - The Clash: Rude Boy
Photo credit: Photo by Ian Dickson/ian@late20thcenturyboy.com
