Date and Time
- Sunday, Jul 6, 2025 6pm
Details
Tickets $8! | Q&A with filmmaker James June Schneider, musician Alec MacKaye (The Faith, Hammered Hulls) and Matt Moffatt, member of Positive Force DC and owner of Smash Records
When punk rock exploded in Washington, DC, in the late 1970s, it was a mighty intergenerational convergence of powerful music, close friendships and clear minds. Featuring breathtaking Super-8 footage filmed at some of the earliest punk shows in DC, PUNK THE CAPITAL takes us through that transformative period (1976–1983), situating DC punk and DC harDCore within the larger narratives of the music industry at that time. The film boasts electrifying performances by legendary bands like Bad Brains and Minor Threat, as well as others integral to the era like The Slickee Boys and Black Market Baby. An array of interviewees like H.R. and Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains; Henry Rollins and Cynthia Connolly of Dischord Records; and Ian and Alec MacKaye, among others, make for a kaleidoscopic and lyrical documentary which immerses the audience in the sounds and ideas of this celebrated music scene. Against the odds (or perhaps understandably), punk rock took hold in Washington, DC, and grew into a movement that became a model for DIY culture around the world.
