Instrument 18
Instrument is a collaboration between filmmaker Jem Cohen and the Washington D.C. band Fugazi, made over a period of more than ten years (1987-1998).
Far from a traditional documentary, this is a musical document; a portrait of musicians at work and the project utilises Super 8, 16mm and Video cinematography, capturing a raw, intimate, and experimental underground aesthetic fitting of Fugazi’s music.
Composed of concert footage, interviews with the band members, practices, tours and time spent in the studio recording, the film also includes portraits of fans as well as interviews with them at various Fugazi shows around the United States throughout the years.
Director Jem Cohen’s relationship with band member Ian MacKaye extends back to the 1970s when the two met in high school, and his influential and fiercely independent and experimental work with artists including R.E.M., Elliott Smith, Butthole Surfers, Sparklehorse and Patti Smith has displayed a continuing passion for alternative music.
Watch
Gallery 1 image
- Director
- Jem Cohen
- Year
- 1999
- Duration
- 1 hour 55 minutes
- Language
- English
- Cast
- Brendan Canty, Ian MacKaye, Joe Lally
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