Devo, Linda Perry docs lead lineup for 25th (and final?) Sound Unseen festival in Minneapolis

Documentaries on Devo, Linda Perry and Ani DiFranco and a couple of legendary Minneapolis concert films will help the Sound Unseen festival reach a crescendo of sorts in 2024, as the popular film fest for music lovers will celebrate its 25th installment Nov. 13-17 and then go on indefinite hiatus.

Sound Unseen 2024′s lineup was announced Wednesday with the new documentary on Ohio’s mad genius “Whip It” hitmakers, simply titled “DEVO,” as the opening night screening at the Parkway Theater with filmmaker Chris Smith. On closing night, “What’s Going On” singer Perry — who went on to write hit songs for more recent pop stars — will perform at the Parkway alongside her new documentary, “Linda Perry: Let It Die Here.”

Other movies in the Minneapolis festival include: the rarely seen documentary “Spider John Koerner: Been Here… Done That,” whose subject died in May; “Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted,” made by two members of experimental local group Marijuana Deathsquads; “Fifty Years in Sixty Minutes: Films from the Bob Dylan Archive,” featuring rare concert and interview clips; “Pavements,” about the idiosyncratic ‘90s indie-rock band Pavement; “Born to Be Wild: The Story of Steppenwolf,” with a new look on the ‘60s legends, and “1-800-ON-HER-OWN,” about D.I.Y. folk hero and activist DiFranco.

Two other standouts: The locally made concert films “M-80″ and “7 Nights in the Entry.” The former is footage of a famous 1979 concert put on by the Walker Art Center with Devo, the Suburbs and more. The latter was filmed by Twin/Tone Records in 1981 to showcase local bands including the Replacements, Hüsker Dü and the Hypstrz.

In addition to Perry, other musicians slated to perform on stage — not on screen — in conjunction with the Minneapolis festival include Swamp Dogg, Lydia Loveless, Charlie Parr, Venus DeMars, Dead History and the Devo tribute band Revo.

Sound Unseen organizers will also put on offshoot festivals with some of these same films and others in Rochester, Dec. 5-8, and in Austin, Texas, Dec. 12.

And then…

“We’re going to hit pause on putting on festivals,” said Sound Unseen director Jim Brunzell, who’s been with the festival for 17 of its 25 years.

While noting that “most film festivals are having trouble finding funding” in the modern era of streaming, Brunzell said Sound Unseen is going on hiatus more for personal reasons.

“I wanted to see what it’s like to not put on a festival every year,” he said, noting that he and his crew of volunteers have full-time jobs in addition to running the fest.

Sound Unseen will still host almost-monthly screenings around town, such as its run this weekend showing “Amadeus” at the Tryon Cinema.

“We’re not burying the festival or saying goodbye forever,” Brunzell added. “We’re just stepping away and re-evaluating for at least one year.”

To get in on Sound Unseen’s final-for-now year, go to soundunseen.com for festival passes and tickets for individual screenings. The full festival lineup is also on the website, with many more films not mentioned here.