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Poster for Reelin’ and Rockin’: HYPE! (1996)
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Reelin’ and Rockin’: HYPE! (1996)

Opens on May 19

Director: Doug Pray Run Time: 84 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 1996

Starring: Carrie Akre, Jeff Ament, Mark Arm, Michael Anderson, Valerie M. Agnew

Country: United States
Language: English


Reelin’ and Rockin’ at Gateway Film Center

May 19, 2023 | In partnership with CD92.9, we’re bringing music back to the big screen with your favorite rock docs and films, hosted by Brian Phillips and Colin Gawel. Meet up with fellow music lovers in The Festival Lounge beginning at 7:00PM, and then join us at 9PM for the presentation.

See more Reelin’ and Rockin’

About the film:

The music, the artists and the hype that defined a generation. Drop into the Pacific Northwest at the start of the Nineties and watch a vibrant underground scene explode into a global grunge media frenzy. HYPE! (1996) follows the music from local bands playing for their friends to Sub Pop’s brilliant exploitation of “the Seattle Sound,” to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” charting at #1.

Questions of money, authenticity and fame arise as “grunge fashion” hits the runways and a mass migration of wanna-be Seattle bands saturates the city. Interspersed throughout are fascinating introspective interviews with members of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and the Fastbacks — as well as a ton of live performances sure to ping the pleasure center of any musichead’s head.

“an all-time great rock doc”

—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times

About the filmmaker:

Doug Pray is an American documentary film director, cinematographer, and editor who often explores unique subcultures in his films. After directing several music videos, he helmed his first feature documentary HYPE! (1996) about the emergence and explosion of the early ‘90s Seattle music scene. His second music documentary Scratch (2001) was a celebration of hip-hop DJs and turntablism. His other documentary subjects include graffiti artists in Infamy (2005), nomadic surfers in Surfwise (2008), independent truck drivers in Big Rig (2008), and copywriters in the Emmy Award-winning Art & Copy (2009). He also directed HBO’s Love, Lizzo (2022) and executive produced, wrote, and edited the Grammy-winning documentary series The Defiant Ones. Pray has a BA in sociology from Colorado College and an MFA from UCLA’s School of Film and Television. His films have premiered at major festivals, including Sundance, Toronto, and SXSW.

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Ohio Arts Council
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Columbus Foundation
Campus Partners
National Endowment for the Arts
WITH HELP FROM
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WOSU Public Media

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