Rock the Bells (film)
Rock The BElls (2006) is the story of the inaugural Rock The Bells festival in San Bernardino, California.
Personifying the fierce independence and Do-It-Yourself spirit of the Hip Hop generation, entrepreneur Chang Weisberg puts everything (his reputation, his sanity, his family, his mortgage) on the line for his impossible dream of reuniting genre superstars and notorious no-shows The Wu-Tang Clan.
Furiously paced and rich with multiple narratives, Rock The Bells follows Weisberg and his guerilla production team as they fight for the arrival of all nine Wu-Tang members, battle broken equipment and Overwhelmed security, attempt to control the riotous crowd in the over-heated, overcrowded venue and deliver the history-making show they have promised.
Also featuring performances by Redman, Dilated Peoples, MC Supernatural, Sage Francis, Eyedea + Abilities, Chali 2na and DJ NuMark. Rock The Bells is directed and produced by Casey Suchan and Denis Henry Hennelly, the team behind Hip Hop documentary hits Beef, Beef 2, Thug Angel, and The Freshest Kids.
Selected Reviews
"Outright exhilarating." - Premiere
"A paean to indie ingenuity... appealing to devotees and the uninitiated alike." - Variety
“Wait-to-pee entertaining." - Cinematical
"A nerve-racking knockout of a film" - Village Voice
"The soul of hip-hop buzzes along with every second of this riveting, mesmerizing film." - FilmCritic.com
"A Gimme Shelter-like conclusion that keeps you on the edge of your seat." - Filmmaker Magazine
"If you want to see real poetry in motion then this is the documentary for you." - Eye For Film
"A rare glimpse behind closed doors." - The A-List
"Perhaps THE best hip-hop documentary to date." - Sceneless.com
"A must see for any true Hip Hop fan... If you never see another film this year, make this your swan song." - Blacktronica
"Now here's a f*cking movie." -The Ratio
"A fascinating glimpse of a dreamer and a music culture that has always depended on dreams." - The New York Times
"Impossible to stop watching" - San Francisco Chronicle
"Urgent and unrelenting in ways that no concert film has been since the Maysle brothers took on Altamont in Gimme Shelter." - FilmCritic.com
"Funny, heart warming, tense, a roller coaster ride." - 411mania.com
“Fascinatingly layered, both intense and hilarious." - Jane Magazine
"...as nail-biting as any Hollywood disaster movie." - The Age
"Avoiding cliches, this gem presents a highly accessible portrait of independent hip hop." - About Docs
"It's like Dave Chappelle's Block Party grew testes." - A New Leaf Media
"Entertaining... Surprisingly tense." - Los Angeles Times
"Bursting at the seams with energy...the best film about rap music you can find." - Just Press Play
Festival Screenings
- Slamdance 2007
- Tribeca Film Festival
- Melbourne International Film Festival
- Edinburgh International Film Festival
- Chicago International Film Festival
- Atlantic Film Festival (Halifax)
- Skopje Film Festival (Macedonia)
- Edmonton International Film Festival
- Denver Film Festival
- RES Fest (various cities)
- In|Edit Documentary Film Festival (Barcelona)
- BBC Electric Proms (London)
- Helsinki Love and Anarchy Film Festival