An In-edit to return to the cinema

The In-edit returns to the place it should never leave: the cinema. In this new edition of Barcelona's music documentary festival, the nineteenth, films revolving around figures as relevant to music and popular culture as Billie Holiday, Tina Turner, the Beatles, Jane Birkin or Caetano Veloso, who recounts, in Narciso Me Férias, the two months he spent in prison during the Brazilian military dictatorship.

As always, and being the most important festival of its kind in the world, there is plenty to choose from and delve into. These are our recommendations from the smaller print of In-edit.

Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over (Beth B, USA, 2019, 79 min)

An emblematic figure of the New York underground scene, Lydia Lunch has done it all: actress, performer, multimedia artist, writer, poet, singer, guitarist, and even spoken word artist. This documentary, directed by Beth B, another key figure of the No Wave scene, reviews the artistic and vital trajectory of this absolute iconoclastic pioneer, heterodox feminist and, until a few years ago, adopted Barcelonian.

Fanny: The Right to Rock (Bobbi Jo Hart, Canada, 2021, 92 min.)

Although they are part of the noble tradition of naming an all-female musical group by referring to female genitalia (The Slits, Pussy Riot, Hole), Fanny had much less impact on the history of popular music than their counterparts. This was a hard-rock group from the early 70s that, despite having people like David Bowie among their fans, never achieved the recognition they deserved. The group's reunion, half a century later, is the excuse to look back and review their exciting history.

Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan (Julien Temple, United Kingdom, 2020, 124 min.)

An emotional portrait of Shane MacGowan, singer and founder of The Pogues, a universal Irishman and absolute protagonist of early London punk. From his childhood stays in rural Ireland, to his health problems in recent years or the concert for his 60th birthday, where he was awarded a prize in recognition of his artistic career by the country's president. This kaleidoscopic documentary by Julien Temple reviews the adventures of this excessive character using all means at his disposal: archive images, recordings from the era and spectacular animation scenes by artists such as Ralph Steadman or Martin Kingdom. Unmissable.

Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James (Sacha Jenkins, USA, 2021, 101 min.)

Rick James, creator of the hit Super Freak that MC Hammer sampled in his U can't touch this, was a force of nature in funk. A star composer and producer for the Motown label, though he was also known for the excesses committed in his private life; it is said that his alcoholic, sexual, and toxicological exploits were on par with those of rock bands like Mötley Crüe. You will have to watch this documentary about his dissipated biography to find out how much truth there is to all of it.

Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché (Celeste Bell, Paul Sng, United Kingdom, 2021, 89 min)

The life and work of Poly Styrene, singer of X-Ray Spex, brings us closer to the idea that perhaps it is true that punk-rock was invented by women, as stated on a Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth t-shirt. This documentary, directed by her daughter, brings us closer to the figure of this absolute icon, from her public life to her more familiar one, from her Anglo-Somali origins to the fact of being a black woman in a world of white men, to her flirtation with spirituality and her mental health problems. In addition to Celeste Bell's memories and fragments from Poly Styrene's diary, the narration is supported by interventions from Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill/Le Tigre, Vivienne Westwood, Neneh Cherry, Don Letts, and Thurston Moore, among others.