The DokStation Music Documentary Film Festival returns for its 8th edition, taking place from September 18-22, 2024 in Bucharest.
As the only Romanian festival dedicated to music documentaries, DokStation features 29 documentary films, most premiering nationally, and concerts across multiple venues, with and about music legends: The Rolling Stones, Simple Minds, José Feliciano, Neil Young, Freddie Mercury, Bruce Springsteen, ABBA, Cyndi Lauper, Mogwai, Pete Doherty, The Black Keys, Blur and many more.
Highlighted Concerts Dokstation 2024
FULU MIZIKI (Congo) live
The band Fulu Miziki, the Afro-futuristic punk sensation from Congo, returns to Romania and will perform for the first time in Bucharest – Thursday, September 19, at the Control Club, as part of the DokStation Music Documentary Film Festival, the 8th edition.
Hailing from Kinshasa, the collective of multidisciplinary artists gathered under the name Fulu Miziki („garbage music”, roughly translated) comes from a future where people have come to terms with Mother Nature and themselves. Approaching a musical style characterized as Eco-Friendly-Afro-Futuristic-Punk, the band members laid the foundations of a real improvised orchestra from objects found in the garbage, constantly inventing instruments in search of new sounds.
Making your own instruments, performance costumes and masks is central to the ideology associated with Fulu Miziki music. Their unique sound carries with it a pan-African message of artistic liberation and peace, but also a harsh critique of the ecological situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and around the world. For Fulu everything can be reclaimed and reinvented.
Tickets are available on the Eventbook network.
Liraz (Iran) live
The queen of Persian electro-pop, the singer-songwriter Liraz, will perform for the first time in Bucharest – Saturday, September 21, at the Control Club as part of the DokStation Music Documentary Film Festival, the 8th edition.
A singer, songwriter and actress, Liraz is known for her charming stage presence and catchy electro-pop beats with oriental influences that have won her critical acclaim.
The latest album, the third of his career, entitled Roya („fantasy”, in Farsi) is a collection of love ballads and dance tracks, on oriental rhythms, a combination of modern, western influences with retro, Persian themes . For Liraz, music is a magical portal to a dreamland, where peace and well-being are palpable.
Tickets are available on the Eventbook network.
Dokstation 2024 – Schedule
For the full film schedule, here’s a brief overview:
Wednesday, September 18
- At Control Club, the festival starts at 18:30 with Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible (2023), followed by This is a Film About The Black Keys (2024) at 20:30, with a Q&A with director Jeff Dupre.
- At Apollo 111, Cyndi Lauper: Let The Canary Sing screens at 18:30, and Teaches of Peaches follows at 20:30.
- Grădina cu Filme hosts Neil Young – Reasons of Wrath (2022) at 20:00, followed by Zucchero — Sugar Fornaciari (2023) at 21:15.
Thursday, September 19
- Control Club features Éthiopiques Suite Magnétique (2023) at 18:30, followed by the live concert of FULU MIZIKI (Congo) at 20:30.
- Apollo 111 offers ABBA: Against The Odds (2024) at 18:30, and Michel Gondry, Do It Yourself (2023) at 20:30.
- Expirat will screen Blur: To The End (2024) at 18:30 and Free Party: A Folk History (2023) at 20:30.
- Grădina cu Filme presents Bruce Springsteen – The American Whisperer (2024) at 20:00, and The Stones and Brian Jones (2023) at 21:15.
Friday, September 20
- At Control Club, Efterklang: The Makedonium Band (2024) will be shown at 18:30, followed by Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound (2024) at 20:30.
- Expirat features ZEF: The Story Of Die Antwoord (2024) at 18:30 and Freddie Mercury – The Final Act (2021) at 20:30.
- Grădina cu Filme will host 35,000 Watts – The Story of College Radio (2024) at 20:00, followed by José Feliciano: Behind This Guitar (2022) at 21:15, with a Q&A with director Helen Murphy.
Saturday, September 21
- Control Club showcases The Stones and Brian Jones (2023) at 18:30, followed by LIRAZ (Iran) live at 20:30.
- Expirat presents José González: A Tiger in Paradise (2023) at 19:00, and Peter Doherty: Stranger In My Own Skin (2023) at 20:30.
- Apollo 111 screens Ice Ice Baby – Hip Hop’s 1st Global #1 (2023) at 19:00, followed by a Q&A with director Helen Murphy, and Milli Vanilli (2023) at 21:15.
- Grădina cu Filme offers Céline Dion – A Star Is Born (2024) at 20:00, and Freddie Mercury – The Final Act (2021) at 21:15.
Sunday, September 22
- Control Club wraps up with S/He Is Still Her/e: The Official Genesis P-Orridge Documentary (2024) at 18:00, followed by Electronic Body Movie (2024) at 20:00.
- Apollo 111 screens The Best of the Best: Jazz from Detroit (2024) at 19:00, followed by They All Came Out to Montreux (2024) at 21:00.
- Grădina cu Filme offers Phoenix. Har/Jar (2022) at 20:00, followed by a Q&A with director Cornel Mihalache. Guests: Mircea Baniciu, Mircea Florian.
DokStation brings together a diverse selection of music documentaries and live performances, celebrating music’s cultural impact through film and sound.
Over five days, attendees can immerse themselves in the stories behind iconic artists, bands, and genres, all while experiencing live performances from innovative international artists like Fulu Miziki and Liraz.
The festival not only showcases the power of music but also its cultural and social influence across the world. Be sure to catch these events in various locations around Bucharest from September 18 to 22.
