Local Newswire Sound Unseen is back for its 12th year of rock docs and music

The rock documentary has always had a niche role in film history. From Martin Scorsese’s tributes to Bob Dylan and The Band in No Direction Home and The Last Waltz, to Gimme Shelter’s memorable peek into The Rolling Stones’ world around the time they were hiring Hells Angels as security, the genre has produced enough iconic moments in music and film history to warrant one of the most beloved parodies of all time (This Is Spinal Tap).

There haven’t been too many mainstream music documentaries these days (unless you count Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never, which we totally do), so leave it up to Twin Cites’ purveyors of weird and alternative culture, the Ritz Theater and The Trylon Microcinema, to host the 12th annual Sound Unseen Music/Arts/Film Festival Oct. 12-16. Sound Unseen will feature screenings of 10 films, as well as musical performances from the likes of Pink Mink and The Magnolias at different music venues around the metro area.

While the festival will hold screenings of familiar music movies such as Sid & Nancy and the recently released Better Than Something: Jay Reatard, about the late underground rock fixture, Sound Unseen’s main event is the Twin Cities première of two wildly different documentaries. On Oct. 14, The Ritz will screen Hit So Hard, a portrait of Hole’s drummer, Patty Schemel, who will be on hand to answer questions following the film’s screening. The next day, the theater will host The Other “F” Word, a film with interviews with rock stars like Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, and others about what it’s like to become a father.

For more information on the series and a complete list of screenings, visit Sound Unseen’s official website.