We Are Fugazi From Washington, DC will return to the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center from April 7-13. The 96-minute film takes a different tack from many music documentaries: It’s based on footage shot by fans.
“It’s about the people who had the initiative to bring their cameras,” says Jeff Krulik, the longtime local director who was one of the documentary’s three “curators”—the others being Joe Gross and Joseph Pattisall. Indeed, while the seminal DC band has blessed the project, half the fun of the film is seeing some of those amateur documentarians’ eyes light up as they talk about wedging themselves into some aerial perch to record the concert.
For Gen X fans who saw the band the first time around or for younger people who only know the band as a historic entity, the other half of the fun is seeing Fugazi’s legendary live shows.
The first run of screenings in February sold out. The tickets for this seven-showing series, like that one, will be priced at $5–the same amount Fugazi insisted on charging for its concerts.
Next up, Krulik says, are showings outside Washington, in Brooklyn and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “We have interest from around the country,” Krulik says, and the filmmakers plan a “slow rollout” of theatrical events. What about streaming? No plans for that, yet, he says: “It’s a communal thing. We like bringing people together to see it. But you know, who’s kidding who? People want to see stuff in their living rooms eventually.”
The curators searched for original VHS and Hi-8 footage to make the film.”We didn’t want to take it off of YouTube,” Krulik says. “Quite honestly, there’s more material coming forward. Who knows, we might do a Volume 2.”
We Are Fugazi From Washington, DC runs April 7-13 at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $5 and available here.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
