Directed by Jem Cohen • 1999 • United States
Starring Fugazi
Filmed over the course of more than ten years, from 1987 to 1998, INSTRUMENT is director Jem Cohen’s visceral, fittingly unconventional portrait of legendary DC punk band Fugazi from their origins through their electrifying prime. Capturing the blistering intensity of their live shows, intimate moments backstage and in the studio, and interviews with members including frontmen Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, the film sheds light on an often enigmatic band whose unwavering commitment to their independent, anticorporate ideals—forgoing money and mainstream fame in favor of accessibility and activism—continues to inspire the DIY underground.
Up Next in Directed by Jem Cohen
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Benjamin Smoke
Directed by Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen • 2000 • United States
Far from a standard music documentary, Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen’s loving portrait of underground musician Benjamin Smoke—speed freak, drag queen, and a true outsider artist in every sense of the word—captures his singular personalit...
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Chain
Directed by Jem Cohen • 2004 • United States
Starring Miho Nikaido, Mira Billotte, Minda MartinAs regional character disappears and corporate culture homogenizes our surroundings, it’s increasingly hard to tell where you are. In Jem Cohen’s mesmerizing blend of narrative and documentary observa...
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Museum Hours
Directed by Jem Cohen • 2012 • Austria, United States
Starring Mary Margaret O’Hara, Bobby Sommer, Ela PiplitsAcclaimed experimental filmmaker Jem Cohen applies his singular vision to narrative in this mesmerizing tale of two adrift strangers who find refuge in Vienna’s grand Kunsthistorisches ...
