Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival announces films for 25th Anniversary edition! Minneapolis kicks things off with Chris Smith’s DEVO, Don Hardy’s Linda Perry: Let It Die Here is the Closing Night Selection, and Don McGlynn’s Spider John Koerner: Been Here...Done That gets a special Tribute Screening

The Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival (November 13-17 in Minneapolis, December 5-8 in Rochester, and December 12-14 in Austin) announced the film lineup for this year’s 25th Anniversary edition, presented by Pryes Brewing Company, of the groundbreaking film festival. The rare three-city presentation this year will not simply be a celebration of Sound Unseen’s impact on the world of music documentary filmmaking but will also mark the festival’s last in the current format, as Sound Unseen will take a festival hiatus beyond its monthly screening series and special one-off presentations for the next calendar year.

In Minneapolis, Chris Smith’s DEVO (Opening Night), Don Hardy’s Linda Perry: Let It Die Here (Closing Night), and Don McGlynn’s Spider John Koerner: Been Here…Done That (Tribute Screening), will be lead the impressive Sound Unseen lineup screening in three cities over two months in November and December.

Rochester will also feature Dana Flor’s 1-800-On-Her-Own, the second screening ever of Twin/Tone Records’ 7 Nights In The Entry (2007) and a special presentation of Robert Wiene’s classic German Expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) accompanied by a live music performance of the film’s score. Austin will highlight Paul Levantino’s Bastards of Soul, and J. Budro Partida’s Bloody & Bruised: The Untold Story Of The Back Room among its screenings.

For their 25th year Sound Unseen is also making live music a much bigger priority than it has in the past. Grammy nominated Linda Perry anchors the music lineup with solo acoustic performances in both Minneapolis and Austin alongside screenings of her documentary, and a live performance by REVO will accompany the Opening Night presentation of DEVO. Highlights for Minneapolis include folk mainstay Charlie Parr playing before Spider John Koerner: Been Here…Done That, two nights with Bloodshot Records artist Lydia Loveless, a post Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted performance by Soul/R&B legend Swamp Dogg, and a closing night live show by Minneapolis glam trailblazer Venus Demars. The Rochester festival will feature an opening night party with punk heavyweights Rad Owl and Scrunchies along with a closing night party featuring surf rock trio Black Widows and country artist James Eugene Russell.

Sound Unseen’s Festival Director, Jim Brunzell, said, “Being that this is both Sound Unseen’s 25th Anniversary along with a planned break from organizing an annual festival, our entire programming team wanted to offer an eclectic mix of the best rock documentaries on the festival circuit and something completely different in our programming with a few special sidebars including Sounds Like WTF? (music films with Genre elements) and Land of 10,000 Sounds (featuring Minnesota based artists and films). This year’s lineup includes films from across the globe from top tier festivals including Sundance, Berlin, SXSW, Tribeca, Venice, TIFF and Edinburgh festivals and our short programs really capture this year’s overall vibe of artists and filmmakers taking risks in their storytelling. The bands we have scheduled to perform at our partnered music venue Cloudland, the panels we have planned, and all of the events that we have made a name for ourselves with film and music festivals in each of these three cities. It is an exciting and diverse program with documentaries, narrative films, shorts, music videos, returning alumni, and new discoveries - all designed to have a much beloved celebration and intermission.”

Headlining the screenings in Minneapolis are the Opening Night presentation of Chris Smith’s DEVO, an exploration of the band’s 50-year career and odyssey looking at the growth of their "de-evolution" from a cult following to near-rock star status featuring their groundbreaking 1980 hit "Whip It", all while preaching an urgent social commentary. Don Hardy’s Linda Perry: Let It Die Here focuses on Perry’s extensive influence far beyond “What’s Up” and her band 4 Non Blondes offering an intimate look at a vulnerable and courageous woman who dreams big but still struggles with the past and present, with fear, shame, identity, and the burdens of family. Hardy and Perry will both be on hand for a post -screening Q&A. A Special Tribute screening of Don McGlynn’s Spider John Koerner: Been Here...Done That will make for a prime-Minneapolis moment celebrating a stalwart in the local music scene, who also touched many familiar music icons along the way like The Kinks and David Bowie and Ian Anderson, The Doors, Bonnie Raitt, and more. McGlynn will attend the screening as well.

Highlighted films in Sound Unseen’s Rochester screenings include Dana Flor’s 1-800-On-Her-Own, about the brutally honest, famously foul-mouthed and totally hilarious musical force Ani DiFranco and how she became a worldwide phenomenon when she beat the male-dominated music industry at its own game by founding Righteous Babe Records, the first “woman-run non-corporate queer-happy” label, still going strong after nearly 35 years. Twin/Tone Records’ 7 Nights In The Entry (2007) is a film that was shown once before, at Sound Unseen in 2007, and likely won’t be seen for another 20 years. It captures bands like the Replacements and Hüsker Dü in their beginnings and offers a rare chance to relive being in the room when it was dirty and dangerous. Sound Unseen will also present a special screening of Robert Wiene’s classic German Expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) accompanied by a live music performance of the film’s score.

Additional films getting the spotlight in Austin will be Paul Levatino’s Bastards Of Soul offers a deep dive into the heart of an electrifying Texas band on the cusp of international recognition, providing an intimate behind-the-scenes look at frontman Chadwick Murray and the band's final recording sessions, their lives, and the electric energy they command on stage. J. Budro Partida’s Bloody & Bruised: The Untold Story Of The Back Room chronicles one of the most notoriously known (and often disregarded) music venues in Austin, Texas telling the story of the club through nearly 70 interviews with various musicians, former staff, journalists, and fans, and incorporates thousands of pieces of archive videos, photos, ticket stubs, flyers, and even highly stylized reenactments. Both Levatino and Partida will be in attendance to participate in post-screening Q&As.

Additional highlights in Minneapolis include Sander Maran’s Chainsaws Were Singing, an absolutely bonkers action-horror-musical-comedy B-movie epic from Estonia which was a fan favorite at the most recent Fantasia and Fantastic Fests. Director Kurt St. Thomas remake of the film noir D.O.A. starring legendary musician and actor John Doe (X) as a detective who, dying from a slow-acting poison, must bring his own killer to justice. The film is shot in black and white with a cast that includes Matt Pinfield and John Byner and John Doe will be in attendance to introduce the film and participate in a Q&A afterwards. Al X Gav’s M-80 is another rarely screened concert gem from Minneapolis (circa 1979) featuring performances by The Fleshtones, The Suicide Commanders, The Monochrome Set, Tuxedomoon, The Suburbs, Dark Day, James Chance and the Contortions, Judy Nylon, and a host of others – including rare footage of DEVO performing under the name ‘Dove’. Sound Unseen will also present a 100th Anniversary screening of Robert Wiene’s The Hands Of Orlac (1924) featuring a live performance of the score by Katie Condon.