London Film Festival To Feature Bevy Of Rock Docs

Of the 238 films announced for this year’s London Film Festival, a large percentage of the featured movies are documentaries in the rock and roll genre. As Uncut demonstrated, Janis Joplin and Leon Russell are the focus of two such films, while another was created by Jack White and T-Bone Burnett to explore the recordings and music of the early 1900s.

The Janis Joplin documentary is called Janis: Little Girl Blue, and features archival footage mixed with current interviews about the life and times of Joplin. Meanwhile, the Leon Russell film A Poem Is A Naked Person was filmed between 1972-1974, and has surprisingly never been released.

We previously reported on the Jack White-led project, The American Epic Sessions, which showcases modern artists in antique 1920s-era recording conditions. Performers include Jack White, Beck, Nas, Alabama Shakes, Merle Haggard, Elton John, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Raphael Saadiq, the Avett Brothers, Los Lobos, Bettye LaVette, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell.

Other musical films include They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music In Exile and Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives. The London Film Festival runs from October 7-18 in London.