Courtesy: Michael Raspatello
EDM: You Don’t Know It Till You’ve Lived It
“Festival, A Documentary” following six fans as they prepare, attend, and reflect on their music festival experience, is now available on Amazon Prime, YouTube Red, Vimeo On Demand, and iTunes.
The documentary examines these individuals’ personal experiences and motivations against the backdrop of the festival industry’s much-discussed evolution from the late-60s to today.
“It aims to be an honest and detailed look at why our generation attends massive events, what is sacrificed, what is gained, and why it matters,” says the film’s director and executive producer Michael Raspatello. “It’s not a concert film or a behind-the-scenes look at any one festival. It neither vilifies nor glorifies the industry. This is a collection of stories from real individuals, a snapshot of what happens when 100,000 people descend on a festival weekend.”
Alongside footage of the FESTIVAL’s protagonists, a group of men and women whose ages range from 20 to 40 — the documentary promises a never-before-seen performance from Benny Benassi and in-depth interview with Bonnaroo and Outside Lands co-founder Rick Farman.
Somewhat inspired by the time-capsule appeal of cult-classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986), FESTIVAL entwines historic footage of unnamed fans at Newport Folk, Monterrey Pop, Isle of Wight, and Woodstock ’99 throughout.
Festival simultaneously debuted last summer at both Bonnaroo and the Rhode Island International Film Festival, later appearing as an “Official Selection” at Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco and Hip Hop Film Festival in NYC.