Music documentary festival kicks off in Moscow

A festival of music documentaries will open in Moscow tomorrow showing some of the best films about bands, youth subcultures and teen pop idols. The 4th Beat Film Festival kicks off with Teenage (2013) by director Matt Wolf, based on the groundbreaking book about adolescence by punk author Jon Savage. The film explores what it meant to be a teenager in the first half of the 20th century — the word was not coined until 1945 — and the various subcultures pioneered during that period. From fun-loving flappers to overzealous Nazi youths, the film gives a voice to mid-century teenagers and is set against a post-punk contemporary soundtrack.

The main festival programmes includes ten films, including David Bowie: Five Years (2013) by British Francis Whately, who will be available for questions after the screening. The cinematic collage of old and new footage follows Bowie over five non-consecutive years. The film is the first feature about Bowie since 1974.

The festival will also feature a Julien Temple retrospective, showcasing some of the best films made by the master of punk documentary. Among the films to be screened are The Great Rock’N’Roll Swindle (1980), a mockumentary about the Sex Pistols; Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007); and London: The Modern Babylon (2012) about the capital in the lead-up to the Olympic Games last year.

The festival runs until 11 June. A full programme can be found here.