Documentary about the Montreux Jazz Festival is part of the festival lineup.

Filmusic Festival Plays It Loud at the Film Society

This year marks the 13th year for the FILMUSIC festival, celebrating the convergence of music, culture and film.

The festival is hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society and runs June 26 to 29. It features film screenings, discussions and musical performances all weekend long.

Richard Paradise, executive director of MV Film Society, said he programs the festival to have something for everyone. This year’s lineup includes documentaries about the birth of Led Zeppelin, the short but influential career of Jeff Buckley and the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival, to name a few.

“I try to have a very balanced program,” Mr. Paradise said. “Some films and types of music that we’re going to be talking about in the films run a very large spectrum because not everyone is interested in jazz, not everyone is interested in hard rock, not everyone is interested in finding out more about the music business and industry business as a whole.”

In total, six documentaries will be screened, including a look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s early life together in New York City, and a portrait of the hard road to fame for Janis Ian.

“Over the years, we’ve had so many different documentaries, both bands and musicians who are well known and maybe not so well known, and we’ve kind of shed light on it and all different types of music styles,” Mr. Paradise said.

There will be an opening reception on Thursday, with a live performance by local musicians Andy Herr, Rich Giaimo and Becky Williams.

Mr. Paradise said he is a big proponent of doing mini film festivals as it brings people together who share a common bond.

“In this case the genre is music, music documentaries, films about musicians, and films about the art form of music,” he said. “It’s always been a genre that’s resonated with the Vineyard community even before I created the film festival to be a long weekend devoted to these types of films.”

For tickets and a full schedule, visit mvfilmsociety.com.

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 06/28/2025 - 14:31

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Jim Johnston Oak Bluffs

Saw the film on Jeff Buckley this last Thursday. Amazing film. Loved reading this article about the event. Thanks

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