YSFF Presents: THE BEST SUMMER w/ Director TAMRA DAVIS Q&A
About this Event
FILM BADGES ACCEPTED / DOORS AT 7:30
Synopsis: A found footage documentary from a concert tour in 1995 that features live performances, candid interviews and a behind the scene view of what it's like to be on tour with the Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Beck, Pavement, Rancid, The Amps and Bikini K*ll.
In January 2025, while evacuating her home during the Palisades fires, director Tamra Davis found a box of videotapes she shot in 1995 on the Summersault tour, an Australian festival that brought together Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini K*ll at the height of their alt-rock moment. Newly married to Beastie Boy Mike D, Davis had full access everywhere and her camera caught it all: blistering performances, backstage banter, candid interviews conducted by Kathleen Hanna, and all the unguarded moments that don't survive in the age of smartphones.
What makes The Best Summer more than a nostalgia trip is how alive these musicians feel in Davis' footage before their fame kicked in. Kim Gordon tours with her toddler, Coco. Dave Grohl talks about the books he's reading. Kathleen Hanna and Ad-Rock fall in love on camera. Adam Yauch is in the prime of his life. Davis and editor Jessica Hernandez assemble it all into something loose and quietly devastating, a 30-year-old home movie that doubles as a portrait of an irretrievable cultural moment. For anyone who grew up on this music, it plays like the rarest of concert films, a backstage pass that keeps on giving.
About Tamra Davis: Tamra began her career directing music videos for acts like Depeche Mode, Indigo Girls, NWA, Hanson and Sonic Youth and made her first feature in '92 with Guncrazy starring Drew Barrymore. She then went on to direct feature films starring Chris Rock-CB4, Adam Sandler in Billy Madison, Dave Chappelle in Half Baked, Britney Spears in Crossroads and most recently, 13: The Musical for Netflix. She is also known for her documentary work on Jean Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child and The Punk Singer about Kathleen Hanna.
About Eli Janney: Janney is an American record producer and engineer born in Washington, D.C. He played bass and keyboards as well as sang backing vocals in the band Girls Against Boys and served as associate music director / keyboardist for the house band, the 8G Band from 2014 to 2024. For his contributions to the band as associate director, Janney was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction in 2024.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 28.52
