Died Young, Stayed Pretty

 

Documentary on Underground Indie-Rock Posters 

 

 LA Premiere! September 16, 2009 at the Aero Theater

 

"Raw -- an outlaw movie about outlaw artists"- Peter Rainer, NPR

 

"Died Young, Stayed Pretty is...a captivating artifact of an era."  Ward Sutton, The Village Voice 

 

 

"Died Young, Stayed Pretty considers a subculture acutely aware of its own obsolescence: artists committed to the design, hand printing and stapled-to-a-telephone-pole distribution of rock posters. They are resigned to their marginalization in a culture where the cutting edge of marketing-and music-has mostly gone digital." -The NY Times.

 

 

Directed by Eileen Yaghoobian

 

RT:  95 mins/Not Rated by the MPAA

 

 

Official Selection of the 2009 South By Southwest Film Festival and 2008 Montreal World Film Festival, DIED YOUNG, STAYED PRETTY is a candid look at the underground indie-rock poster subculture in North America that was reborn, post-Punk, with the launch of groupie Clayton Hayes' website Gigposters.com. The documentary reveals a new breed of subculturists who've set out to destroy the mainstream through their controversial and intensely visceral design work.

 

Under the guise of advertising for rock shows, these unheralded masters of the silkscreen and Xerox machine carry on public discourses that range from hot button political issues to lewd, inside jokes.  Stealing pieces from America's disposable culture, these graphic artists pervert classic references into beautiful obscenities that they slap in the face of polite society while safely treading under the radar. 

 

Director Eileen Yaghoobian gives an intimate look at a few of the giants of the subculture, some who go broke to maintain their creative workshops while others have found commercial success.  Featuring interviews with Tom Hazelmyer, Art Chantry, Brian Chippendale, the Ames Brothers, Jeff Kleinsmith, Jay Ryan, Print Mafia, and Rob Jones, among others, outside their own circle, they are virtually unknown, but within their ranks they are bareknuckle brawlers.  Yaghoobian sneaks her lens into the lives of these self-professed radicals to discover where the real power lies, if any remains.

 

With original music by Mark Greenberg and visual effects by Pete Dionne, DIED YOUNG, STAYED PRETTY features posters for Radiohead, White Stripes, Arcade Fire, The Flaming Lips, The Melvins, Nick Cave, Broken Social Scene, Ween and legends like Bob Dylan and Marianne Faithful. 

 

Visit the website for list of additional theaters/cities:

www.diedyoungstayedpretty.com