Date and Time
- Thursday, Jul 10, 2025 7pm
Details
Punk activist collective Positive Force DC emerged in 1985, rising from the creative, politically charged ferment of DC punk's Revolution Summer. Born in a dynamic local scene, a handful of young activists drew inspiration from UK anarcho-punks Crass and the original Positive Force band 7 Seconds to become one of the longest-lasting and most influential exponents of punk politics. This feature-length film by Robin Bell skillfully mixes rare archival footage (including electrifying live performances from Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Rites of Spring, Nation of Ulysses, Anti-Flag and more) with new interviews with key Positive Force activists, including co-founder Mark Andersen (co-author of “Dance of Days”) and Jenny Toomey (Simple Machines, Tsunami), as well as supporters such as Ian MacKaye; Jello Biafra; Dave Grohl; Ted Leo; Riot Grrrl co-founders Allison Wolfe and Kathleen Hanna; and many more. Covering a span of 30 years, MORE THAN A WITNESS documents Positive Force’s Reagan-era origins, the creation of its communal house, FBI harassment and the rise of a vibrant underground that burst into the mainstream amid controversy over both the means and the ends of the movement. Through it all, Positive Force has persisted, remaining deeply rooted in its hometown, regularly bringing punk protest to the front doors of the powers-that-be. (Note courtesy Robin Bell.) DIR Robin Bell; PROD Rachell Cain, Meagan Coleman, Brian Duss, Hunter Harris. U.S., 2014, color, 69 min. NOT RATED
