First, it's hysterical then it's infuriating. FYRE garnered a lot of buzz upon release and for good reason, you have never seen a trainwreck more predictable and preventable than this. A stellar display of douchebaggery and white male arrogance, this doc demonstrates the power social media has to misguide even the most powerful of individuals with a single image. Watch as frantic organizers attempt to trade sexual favours for water bottles and millionaire influencers arrive at the Bahamas to be met with FEMA tents and cheese sandwiches.
Posted on June 23, 2022
We are officially in the thick of the music festival season, but before you put on your big boots and don the mandatory denim shorts, hear us out.
If you've ever stood in a crowd of sweaty strangers of questionable sobriety and wished you were anywhere else, you'll be glad to learn we've figured out a way to experience the soaring joy and life-affirming rush of a music festival without ever strapping on a fanny pack or gluing gems to your forehead.
Behold! A selection of music festival documentaries so riveting, so bold and so devoid of drunk people asking you if you've seen their phones, they'll make you wonder why you ever bothered coming up with creative ways to sneak water bottles on your person.
From the culturally rich FANDANGO AT THE WALL to Questlove's utterly invigorating SUMMER OF SOUL, these docs are guaranteed to be music to your ears. 
WOODSTOCK (1970)
Appropriately taglined "Three days that defined a generation," the 1969 Woodstock music festival was a pivotal moment for the hippie movement, becoming a landmark event of the 60s and in music history. Relive the magic of the world's most iconic festival through this vibrant concert film. Released just a year after the event itself, this movie is the primary record of the event. It captures a rare moment of carefree optimism for this wartorn generation; one where the American youth stood together for three days, just listening.
MONTERREY POP (1968)
This legendary doc is riddled with some of the most important performances in Rock n' Roll history from artists such as the Mamas and the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Otis Redding, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Though overshadowed by Woodstock '69, The Monterrey Pop Festival was iconic in it's own right capturing a plethora of memorable moments, including the time Jimmy Hendrix lit his guitar on fire, breaking it and tossing a part into the audience MEAN GIRLS style.
SUMMER OF SOUL (2021)
In his debut as a filmmaker, The Root's Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson triumphs, scoring an Academy Award right out of the gate. The accolade is well deserved as SUMMER OF SOUL documents the incredible celebration of Black history, culture and fashion that occurred over the course of six weeks at the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969. Taking place in the immediate aftermath of the American Civil Rights Movement, this film is made all the more poignant as the necessity of the joy and music provided by this event is made evident.
gimme shelter (1970)
Just a few months prior to the disastrous concert at Altamont Speedway, the people were raving about Woodstock. Not ones to miss a party, The Rolling Stones decided to hold a free concert in California but a series of bad decisions and miscalculations turned a would-be Woodstock 2.0 into a deadly tragedy. Well before the Woodstock '99s and the Fyre Festivals of our day, Albert and David Maysles set out to make the original fest-gone-wrong documentary with GIMME SHELTER. The result is a well-documented downward spiral that is as thrilling as it is sobering.
HOMECOMING (2019)
Though HOMECOMING only focuses on one artist's performance at a larger festival-don't worry Coachella fans, you will be included again in this list- the artist in question is Beyoncé so we made an exception. Exuding all the energy and authority of a war goddess, Beyoncé takes us on a journey through her headlining set at Coachella in 2018, proving her prodigious performance skill at every step of the process. The first black woman to ever headline Coachella, Beyoncé was also the writer, director and executive producer of Homecoming, which runs 137 minutes and was released in concert with a 40-song live album.
JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY (1959)
CIFF 2020 FESTIVAL SELECTION
Filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island and directed by world-renowned photographer Bert Stern, JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY features intimate performances by an all-star line-up of musical legends including Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O'Day, Chuck Berry and Dinah Washington. The 1959 classic is considered one of the most extraordinary music documentaries ever made and has laid the groundwork for all concert films to follow. This sparkling new restoration was funded by the United States National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress in time to celebrate the film's 60th anniversary.
FYRE: THE GREATEST PARTY THAT NEVER HAPPENED (2019)
WOODSTOCK '99: PEACE, LOVE AND RAGE (2021)
Unfolding over three days of intense heat and non-stop performances, Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage examines how the festival eventually collapsed under the weight of its own misguided ambition and resulted in a grim outcome, earning the event the infamous distinction of “the day the nineties died.” The documentary focuses a spotlight on American youth at the end of the millennium, in the shadow of Columbine and the looming hysteria of Y2K, pinpointing a moment in time when the angst of a generation galvanized into a seismic cultural shift.
WE ARE THE THOUSAND (2020)
CIFF 2021 FESTIVAL SELECTION
All Foo Fighters super-fan Fabio Zaffagnini ever wanted was for his favourite band to put on a concert in his hometown of Cesena, Italy. But how do you convince the world's biggest rock band to play in a town they've likely never even heard of? You gather 1000 musicians from all over Italy; you teach them to play "Learn to Fly"—in unison, mind you; post the video to YouTube, and then hope for the best! Arguably the most joyous and exhilarating experience you will have at a movie this year, WE ARE THE THOUSAND's ode to the power of LIVE music is exactly the tonic we need right now!
Coachella: 20 years in the desert (2020)
A documentary feature two decades in the making, this doc opens up the vault for the very first time to present the legendary performances and behind-the-scenes stories that shaped this seminal music festival. The film provides a rare look at Coachella’s colourful beginning and presents exclusive, never-before-seen footage, interviews, and key performances from some of the biggest names in music.
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