Doc’n Roll unveils 12th edition: from house music origins to Sex Pistols and Meredith Monk

Doc’n Roll Film Festival has announced its 12th edition, a 17-day run from 23 October to 9 November across the UK and Ireland with seven world premieres, 12 UK premieres and two London premieres. Screenings will take place at the Barbican, BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, Rio Cinema and other venues, with a programme that spans punk, jazz, house, industrial, folk and beyond.

Opening at the Barbican with the UK premiere of I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol – Glen Matlock’s wry, pugnacious memoir on screen – Doc’n Roll spotlights DIY spirit, independent voices and music scenes that shaped culture. This year’s line-up features 21 features and eight shorts, and champions filmmakers operating far from the mainstream.

World premieres include How Tanita Tikaram Became a LIAR, Natacha Horn’s intimate anti-documentary portrait; Pieces of Heaven: Porridge Radio, a spellbinding farewell film captured at the Centre Pompidou; Rockers Don’t Stop: The Revival of Rockers Revenge directed by Arthur Baker; Nash the Slash Rises Again!; Sound of a Dream: Lee Burridge; Tony Foster: Painting at the Edge; and Not Indian Enough – King Khan.

UK premieres take in Boy George & Culture Club, Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt, Monk in Pieces on Meredith Monk, A Way to Die: The Short Films of Coil, Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me, In Time: Dónal Lunny, A Beautiful Place on Lebanon Hanover, The Big Johnson, Felix, Dare to Dream, Chasing Rainbows: My Visual Duet with Jimmy Scott and Scab Vendor: The Life and Times of Jonathan Shaw. London premieres include Move Ya Body: The Birth of House and Para Vivir: The Implacable Times of Pablo Milanés.

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Vanessa Lobon Garcia, Doc’n Roll co-founder and director, says: ‘We’re delighted to bring Doc’n Roll back again this year to the passionate, diverse, and dedicated audiences who continue to support and inspire us… operating as a totally independent film festival is a rare thing; it makes Doc’n Roll as unique as the films we programme.’

Co-founder and programmer Colm Forde adds: ‘This year’s programme reflects our DIY spirit and our commitment to giving a platform to the charismatic, compelling, unforgettable talents outside the mainstream.’

Following its London hub dates, selected titles from the 2025 programme will travel across the UK and Ireland this autumn. Info, tickets and screening details are available via Doc’n Roll.

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