Don Letts

Don Letts's hilarious and colourful profile of the godfather of funk, whose 50-year career has defined the genre. From his 1950s days running a doo-wop group out of the back of his barber store, through the madness of the monster Parliament/Funkadelic machine of the 70s to his late 90s hip-hop collaborations with Dre and Snoop, George Clinton has inspired generations of imitators. Contributors include Outkast's Andre 3000 and Macy Gray.

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The Making Of All Mod Cons has been personally overseen by Paul Weller, Rick Buckler & Bruce Foxton and the film features exclusive new interviews with all three band members. The 40-minute film also includes promo clips, previously-unseen live footage of The Jam at The Roxy Club and an exclusive solo acoustic rendition of English Rose by Paul Weller at his rehearsal studio.

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From London's 1970 mod scene to Sonic Youth, punk music has always been about attitude and anarchy. This comprehensive rockumentary traces the roots of punk, from The Velvet Underground and the New York Dolls to the Sex Pistols and The Clash.

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Sun Ra was born on the planet Saturn some time ago. The best accounts agree that he emerged on Earth as Herman Blount, born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914, although Sun Ra himself always denied that Blount was his surname. He returned to Saturn in 1993 after creating a stunningly variegated and beautiful assemblage of earthly and interplanetary music, most notably with his fervently loyal Arkestra. Sun Ra and his Arkestra were the subject of a few documentary films, notably Robert Mugge’s ‘A Joyful Noise’ (1980), which interspersed performances and rehearsals with Sun Ra’s commentary on various subjects ranging from today’s youth to his own place in the cosmos. This documentary reuses some of Mugge’s material and includes some additional interviews.

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The documentary tells the story of the making of The Clash's 'London Calling' album and included in a special 25th Anniversary edition re-release of the original album. Directed by Don Letts and including interviews with Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon and othey key figures, this also includes previously unreleased home footage of The Clash recording London Calling in Wessex Studios.

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Formed in 1976, The Clash embodied passion, idealism and political social zeal. Blending rock, reggae, hip-hop and funk, they were the cutting edge of the punk scene. This disc, an essential primer for fans of the influential group, includes tracks such as "White Riot," "Complete Control," "Tommy Gun," "Clampdown" and much more. Also includes a "Clash on Broadway" theatrical trailer and the group's never-before-seen home movie, "Hell W10."

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Kassa a free-wheelin rasta man, falls for a straight laced gospel singer Serena, when they both meet as they enter a music contest. Serena's father the pastor forbids her to see him and wants her to marry one of his church members. Meanwhile the record boss organizing the contest, tries to get Kassa's band to sign to his label on his terms not theirs. By using heavy tactics, he pushes the band to fight back.

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Gil Scott-Heron was one of the most influential musicians and poets of the last 50 years. In Don Letts's documentary, Gil tells his own story for the first time-from being one of the first black children to integrate an all white Southern state school to becoming the Godfather of Rap. There are contributions from Chuck D, Mos Def, Richi Havens and the Last Poets, among others. Filmed in October 2003, Gil performs live and recites poetry out on the streets of Harlem, which have inspired so much of his music.

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A 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. In 2003 it won the Grammy Awards for the best long form music video. Directed by Don Letts, the film combines old footage from the band's personal collection filmed in 1982 when The Clash went to New York with new interviews conducted for the film by Mal Peachey of members Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, and Joe Strummer and other people associated with the group.

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Marcia has a tough life in Kingston, Jamaica, where she's the sole provider for her teenage daughter. Her business as a street vendor is threatened by thug Priest, and Marcia makes matters worse when she accepts money from Larry, who has eyes for her daughter. To get out of her problems, Marcia devises a plan that involves entering a dance contest in disguise, winning the top prize and pitting both men against each other.

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A collection of music videos by Big Audio Dynamite. Featuring videos for The Bottom Line, E=MC^2, Medicine Show, C'mon Every Beatbox, V-Thirteen, Sightsee M.C!, Just Play Music, James Brown, Contact, Rush, and The Globe.

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Public Image Ltd. promo VHS video compilation 1978-86. Includes Rise, Public Image, Death Disco, This is Not a Love Song, Bad Life, Home

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Aborted film project begun by Don Letts and The Clash. The intent of the film was to document the events and performances centering around the band's historic seventeen consecutive shows at Bond's International, a club located in Time's Square, NYC, extending from May 28-June 13, 1981. Footage included Topper Headon strolling around NYC at night & being interviewed while riding in a taxi, the group sitting on a rooftop watching a group of young black kids rap and breakdance, the graffitti artist Futura plying his trade, the backstage scene, and stellar perfomances from the Bond's shows.

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Documentary on the London punk-rock scene, circa '78

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A documentary on the family members and friends who set up a charity, Stummerville, after musician Joe Strummer's death in 2002.

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The 6 Music presenter and DJ warms up the crowd.

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Documentary about Don Letts who played a leading role in pop history. Letts injected Afro-Caribbean music into the early punk scene and shot over 300 music videos including for Public Image Ltd. and Bob Marley, but also for teen sensations Musical Youth's reggae smash 'Pass The Dutchie'. Besides his enduring relationship with The Clash, the constant factor in Letts' eventful career as a DJ, manager, film director, musician and radio maker is that, from the 1970s on, he continued to draw attention to cultural issues, as he does today with his radio programme for BBC 6, Culture Clash Radio.

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The death of punk icon and X-Ray Spex front-woman Poly Styrene sends her daughter on a journey through her mother's archives in this intimate documentary.

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Featuring rarely seen archive and interviews, this documentary examines Bob Marley’s special relationship with Britain and reveals how he inspired a generation of black British youth.

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"England 79" - 17 scenes from Great Britain the winter of discontent, 1979.

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Featuring original interviews with America’s punk pioneers and the U.K.’s most notorious bands, alongside a seamless blend of rare and unseen photos, gritty archival film and video, a crackling soundtrack of punk hits and misses, this documentary series explores the music, the fashion, the art and the DIY attitude of a subculture of self-described misfits and outcasts.

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An access all areas documentary with Clem Burke, a look back at 40 years on the road and performing with one of the worlds most iconic bands. Clem Burke is the drummer behind multi-platinum selling band BLONDIE. His signature beats have brought millions to the dance floor and his unique approach to playing has seen him accompany an endless list of artists from Bob Dylan to The Eurythmics. We follow Clem on the road, playing as hard as ever in this access all areas documentary. Feel the energy behind the kit as Clem plays with Blondie at Hyde park to 80,000 people and witness his tireless work ethic at The Cavern Club for Beatles week, where he plays 5 gigs in 24 hrs. Exclusive interviews from Dave Stewart, Chris Stein, Hugh Cornwall, Glen Matlock, Bob Gruen and many more put the spotlight on one of rock 'n' rolls most enigmatic unsung heroes - Clem Burke the Doctor of Rock.

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This stylish documentary about the iconic ska, reggae and rock-steady label is a timely and wide-ranging celebration of british Jamaican working-class youth culture.

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The tale of the formation, journey and end of the seminal Punk/Reggae band The Slits.

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Documentary about reggae music and culture in London in 1977. Filmed in Super 8 camera by Don Letts. With participation of Richard Branson, Neneh Cherry, Paul Cook, Sly Dunbar, Paul Weller, John Lydon, Joe Strummer, Siouxsie Sioux, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and others. Released in 2017.

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Don Letts examines the history of this notorious subculture in a fascinating documentary, which features interviews with members of different skinhead scenes through the decades. Beginning in the late 1960s, Don fondly recalls a time of multiracial harmony as youngsters bonded over a love of ska, reggae and smart clothes as white working-class kids were attracted to Jamaican culture and adopted its music and fashions. But when far-right politics targeted skinheads in the 1970s and 1980s, an ugly intolerance emerged, and Don reveals how the once-harmonious subgroup has since struggled to shake this stigma.

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From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk: The Damned, the first U.K. punks on wax and the first to cross the Atlantic. This authorized film includes appearances from Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones (The Clash), Lemmy and members of Pink Floyd, Black Flag, GNR, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Buzzcocks, and more. Shot around the globe over three years, the film charts the band's complex history and infighting, as it celebrated its 35th anniversary and found its estranged former members striking out on their own anniversary tour, while still others battle cancer.

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A funny and often moving account of one of UK music's great lost treasures. Formed in 1974 by a group of school friends from Croydon, Johnny Moped were the band fronted by, and named after, the enigmatic Paul Halford aka Johnny Moped. By 1977 the group found themselves at the heart of the burgeoning punk scene in London and for a brief moment even looked like contenders. Despite being able to count both Chrissie Hynde and Captain Sensible as past members, success was not to come their way and Johnny Moped are now largely forgotten, punk rock's great lost band. Their story is however a fascinating one that, along with some of the era's most innovative music deserves to be heard.

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A brand new take on the most transformative force in British popular music history.

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A look at the life of John Cooper Clarke. From his rise as a 'punk poet', through his heroin addiction, and finally to his comeback.

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On October 12th, 1978, New York Police discovered the lifeless body of a young woman, slumped under the bathroom sink in a hotel room. She was Nancy Spungen, an ex-prostitute, sometimes stripper, heroin addict, and girlfriend of Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious.

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The '70s work of the late Dave Goodman leads US directly into the shocking true story of the birth - and initial success - of the Sex Pistols, the most explosive Rock 'N' Roll band ever (and the group for whom Dave G was the first serious producer). a band that still shock and thrill, in equal measure, some 30 years later. The filmmakers were lucky enough to know Dave back then and luckier still in getting other key figures to talk about him and the Pistols for this film - including manager Malcolm McLaren, Pistol Glen Matlock, photographer Ray Stevenson, film-maker Don Letts, broadcaster/label bigwig Tony Wilson and many others. Their words make up not just the bizarre tale of Dave and the Pistols but also the full flavor of what Punk, and Britain in the '70s, was really like. A time when young people still genuinely believed that music could - and would - change the world. A time of hope. A very different time to now...

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A definitive landmark series charting the emergence and re-emergence of rock music as a global force, told through the musicians who have shaped this most enduring of genres.

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As the front man of the Clash from 1977 onwards, Joe Strummer changed people's lives forever. Four years after his death, his influence reaches out around the world, more strongly now than ever before. In "The Future Is Unwritten", from British film director Julien Temple, Joe Strummer is revealed not just as a legend or musician, but as a true communicator of our times. Drawing on both a shared punk history and the close personal friendship which developed over the last years of Joe's life, Julien Temple's film is a celebration of Joe Strummer - before, during and after the Clash.

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A City Runs Through the Festival is an anatomy of the Festival through the eyes of its own audience.

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Critical review of the English punk rock band's 1979 album, 'London Calling'. The program features input from industry experts, including film director and DJ Don Letts, rare performance footage and clips from songs such as 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go', 'White Riot' and 'London Calling'.

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Documentary looking at the heatwave of 1976. The longest driest spell on record led to drought, water rationing and forest fires. As the country sweltered, tensions rose.

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Documentary series which ranges widely over Britain's social and cultural history, its narrative-led storytelling offering a richly immersive and varied window onto the past.

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A 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. In 2003 it won the Grammy Awards for the best long form music video. Directed by Don Letts, the film combines old footage from the band's personal collection filmed in 1982 when The Clash went to New York with new interviews conducted for the film by Mal Peachey of members Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, and Joe Strummer and other people associated with the group.

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Short documentary about the beginnings of punk in Great Britain. Don Letts, Caroline Coon, Jon Savage and Viv Albertine - all themselves connected to this scene - recount their experiences and memories from that time. In addition, original recordings and short concert excerpts document the feeling, fashion and circumstances of the youth of the time.

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Good News Week was an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten in 1999. The show was revived for its second run when the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike caused many of Network Ten's imported US programmes to cease production. Good News Week drew its comedy and satire from recent news stories, political figures, media organisations, and often, aspects of the show itself. The show opened with a monologue by McDermott relating to recent headlines, after which two teams of three panellists competed in recurring segments to gain points. The show has spawned three short-lived spin-off series, the ABC's Good News Weekend, Ten's GNW Night Lite and Ten's skit-based Good News World.

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Comedy thriller deals with an arranged marriage.

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A collection of music videos by Big Audio Dynamite. Featuring videos for The Bottom Line, E=MC^2, Medicine Show, C'mon Every Beatbox, V-Thirteen, Sightsee M.C!, Just Play Music, James Brown, Contact, Rush, and The Globe.

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Three blondes from another planet land on earth to conduct research into romantic love

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