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focus on punk

Punk and the Pistols

Piercingly political and anti-establishment, get up close and angry with the music subculture that defined a generation.

Friday 11 May - Sunday 20 May
Full $13 Concession $10
Six Session Pass: Full $60 Concession $48



In the midst of a current punk revival criticised for being more 'mall core' than hard core, rediscover the real thing at ACMI.

Curated by Jack Sargeant.

This season of films has been inspired by No Focus: Punk on Film edited by Chris Barter and Jack Sargeant. Available from the ACMI Shop. 

Focus on Punk has a myspace. Visit www.myspace.com/focus_on_punk and become a friend!

or phone (03) 8663 2583

jubilee Derek Jarman's vivid depiction and celebration of all that was punk about London circa 1977 is a dystopian vision of England - featuring fetish era pre-pop Adam Ant, Jordan, and cameos by The Slits and Richard O'Brian.

suburbia 'The Rejected' are a gang of disenfranchised Californian punks living, hanging out and trying to survive in Reagan's 80s. Penelope Spheeris (Wayne's World) hits pay dirt in this punk social drama.

ghost on the highway One of a handful of bands to genuinely push the punk/post-punk template, The Gun Club was fronted by legendary vocalist Jeffrey Lee Pierce and included such luminaries as Kid Congo Powers, Patricia Morrison, Romi Mori and Terry Graham.

shorts 1: punk and post punk From industrial music to Bay Area hardcore to punksploitation, this selection of short films and documentaries lets punk loose in all its variety.

ladies and gentlemen, the fabulous stains The Stains are an all-girl punk band trying to escape small town America and change the world in this 'youthsploitation' classic - the inspiration for the 'riot grrl' feminist movement of the 90s.

punk and the pistols Inspired by Jon Savage's classic book England's Dreaming, this documentary tells the whole story of punk rock in London as seen through the eyes of the fans, the bands, and the unwitting icons.

shorts 2: nyc no wave This collection of politically sharp punk/anti-punk classics features members of the 'no wave' music scene which flourished briefly alongside punk.

made in britain Directed by Alan Clarke, Made in Britain is a brutally realistic portrayal of skinheads, racism, violence and urban neglect in Thatcher's Britain.

billy childish & the chatham super 8 cinema The little-known film work of Billy Childish presents a unique insight into this incredibly creative figure who took punk rock's 'do-it-yourself' dictum to the limits.

desperate living The last of John Waters' legendary 'trash trilogy', Desperate Living is classic pre-punk punk, full of homicidal lesbians, perverted cops and plenty more to boot.

repo man Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez are repo men, hunting a car with a mysterious cargo in the trunk. Alex Cox's cult movie classic is one of the finest celebrations of urban alienation produced.

the great rock n roll swindle The story of the best known of the punk bands, the Sex Pistols, told through Julien Temple's epic movie that mixes rebellion, history, animation, and punk rock.

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