All Tomorrow's Parties

All Tomorrow's Parties has showcased one of the vastest array of artists of any festival going over its decade-plus existence. That it's done so with without corporate sponsorship is testament to the ideals the festival organizers try to wrap all their events in.

This new documentary so brilliantly captures these ethea. It uses footage from the closed circuit ATP TV station and mixes it with fan videos from throughout the festivals' run. All Tomorrow's Parties presents a hazy, cinema verite style.

Rather than use dry testimonials and a rote "history of" approach, director Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation) seeks to immerse viewers in the ATP experience. He mixes mind-blowing live footage (Shellac, Les Savy Fav, The Stooges playing "I Wanna Be Your Dog") with behind-the-scenes shots of both the bands and the fans hanging out in the summer getaway camp accommodations. The approach reinforces the sense community the festival strives so hard to achieve.

With a 40-page companion booklet giving a run down on the festival's origins and bios of its participating artists, All Tomorrow's Parties does what few other concert or festival films do: it makes you wish you were there.