Filmmaker Spotlight: Penelope Spheeris

For this year’s SW DocuFest we wanted to bring to light one of the most influential documentary film-makers who is often referred to as a “rock ‘n roll anthropologist.”  Even though general audiences may be more familiar with were fiction films such as Wayne’s World (1992), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Black Sheep (1996), and Suburbia (1983), she will be most familiar in the non-fiction world for her ground breaking trilogy The Decline of Western Civilization (19810, Part 2 (1988), and Park 3 (1998).  She’s also responsible for the 1999 Ozzfest Tour documentary We Sold Our Souls for Rock ‘N Roll (2001), so Spheeris knows a thing or two about telling compelling and ground breaking stories about music and culture.


We have provided a small sampling of You Tube links for some of her films hoping that you take this weekend event to explore some of the finest non-fiction films ever made.  If you enjoy these films, remember to add them to your own physical or digital collections and continue to spread the world amount this amazing film-maker!
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