Outdoor Cinema: Encore – music docos + concert films
PRESENTED BY FED SQUARE
Classic concert documentaries and films from Australian and International artists on the big screen.
From Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ documentary One More Time with Feeling to iconic concert films from Sade, James Brown and Aretha Franklin – Encore is a curated selection of music documentaries, taking you from rehearsal to the recording studio to the stage, where the magic happens.
A highlight is the marathon screening of Live Aid – the biggest benefit concert in history.
Strap yourselves in, music lovers.
This event is presented as part of Open Air at the Square.
Monday 1 March, 8pm | Big Screen
This 2016 documentary, directed by Melbourne’s Andrew Dominik, captures the recording of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ sixteenth studio album, Skeleton Tree, in the aftermath of the death of Nick Cave’s son. The film includes 35 minutes of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performing at Air Studios in London during the final recording sessions for the album.
“Both gentle and staggering, an examination of the way or personal experiences can spur creativity -or render it inconsequential” – Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine
Dir. Andrew Dominik | 2016 | 1hr 53 mins | UK | English | Classification: M – Course language
Tuesday 2 March, 8pm | Big Screen
The concert “Live from San Diego” is a live performance by the band Sade, filmed during their last two shows of the Love Deluxe World Tour at SDSU Open Air Theatre in San Diego, California in October 1993.
Dir. Sophie Muller | 1994 | 1hr 53 mins | UK | English | Classification: M – Course language
Wednesday 3 March, 8pm | Big Screen
Widely renowned as the greatest concert documentaries ever made, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2019 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. The documentary captures the final concert of the Canadian-American rock group The Band held at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The concert featured guest performers including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and many more.
“The Greatest Concert Movie of all time” – Rolling Stone
Dir. Martin Scorsese | 1978 | 1hr 57 mins | USA | English | Classification: PG – The content is mild in impact
Thursday 4 March, 8pm | Big Screen
On 5 April 1968, the day after civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, James Brown gave a free concert at The Boston Garden. King’s assassination had sparked a wave of riots and civil disturbance across the USA, and the mayor of Boston was persuaded to let Brown’s concert be broadcast live in an effort to maintain civic peace. The concert film captures a rare, raw cultural moment in history.
Dir. David Atwood | 1968 | 1hr 48 mins | USA | English | Classification: E – exemption
Friday 5 March, 8pm | Big Screen
Realised and produced by Alan Elliot and shot under the direction of Sydney Pollock, Amazing Grace stars Aretha Franklin recording her 1972 live album of the same name at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
“Whether you are religious or not, you owe it to yourself to see this movie if the chance arises. You’ll see how much love and feeling went into the construction of the resulting album” – Odie Henderson, RogerEbert.com
Dir. Alan Elliott, Sydney Pollack | 2018 | 1hr 27 mins | USA | English | Classification: G – General
Monday 8 March (Labour Day public holiday), 12pm–10pm | Big Screen
Live Aid was the biggest benefit concert in history. Held across at Wembley Stadium in London and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia in July 1985, the concert was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and raised an estimated £150 million for famine relief in Ethiopia. An estimated 1.9 billion people in 150 countries watched the Live Aid live broadcast, which featured the who’s-who of music icons at the time, including Queen, David Bowie, U2, Sir Paul McCartney, Sade, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Madonna, Elton John and The Beach Boys.
Director Philip Chilvers | 1985 | Running Time: 560 minutes | UK & USA | English | E