Positive Force: More Than a Witness - 30 Years of Punk Politics in Action
2014•1h 9m•Released
DocumentaryMusic
Punk activist collective Positive Force emerged in 1985, rising from the ashes of Revolution Summer. This feature-length film by Robin Bell skillfully mixes rare archival footage (including electrifying live performances from Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses, Anti-Flag, and more) with new interviews with key PF activists like co-founder Mark Andersen and supporters such as Ian MacKaye, Ted Leo, and Riot Grrrl co-founder Allison Wolfe. Covering a span of 25 years, More Than A Witness documents PF's Reagan-era origins, the creation of its communal house, FBI harassment, and the rise of a vibrant underground that burst into the mainstream amidst controversy over both the means and the ends of the movement. In the best punk fashion, PF volunteers have applied creative DIY tactics and radical critiques to issues of homelessness, racism, corporate globalization, sexism, and war while struggling to constructively address conflicting dynamics and visions within the group itself.
Director
Robin Bell
Languages
English
Cast
Mark Andersen
Himself
Ian MacKaye
Himself
Amanda Mackaye
Herself
Katy Otto
Herself
Matt Moffatt
Himself
David Combs
Himself
Fugazi
self
Anti-Flag
self
Nation-Of-Ulyesses
self
Jello Biafra
self
Dave Grohl
self
Kathleen Hanna
self
Allison Wolfe
self
Jenny Toomey
self
Jawbox
self
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