Punk: Attitude enjoyed a standing ovation at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival and screened at this years Cannes Film Festival. Both the film and Don Letts have been invited to this years Melbourne International Film Festival.An integral player in the original British punk scene, director Don Letts is credited with introducing reggae to punk audiences as DJ at The Roxy. His first film was the seminal Punk Rock Movie (still the only existing documentary about the UK punk scene). This was followed by a prolific period where he directed over 300 music videos from a broad range of artists (Bob Marley, Elvis Costello, Eddie Grant, The Pogues and The Clash among others). In 2003 he received a Grammy Award for his film Westway to the World. In the mid 1970s, a revolution was ignited on the streets of London and New York almost overnight it shattered the status quo and it would continue to impact all future generations of youth culture. It redefined popular music and fashion, threatened the establishment and legitimised an independent, do-it-yourself attitude. Very much the product of youth rebellion, this movement had its originators, its intellectuals, its trendsetters and its burnouts. It inspired an entire generation of filmmakers, poets, photographers, fashion designers and graphic artists. For a moment in time, it was the most important cultural force on the planet. What happened in London, New York & L.A. during the late 1970s was explosive, far reaching and historic never before had the rebellious tendencies of youth been so perfectly voiced and captured in such a social identity as punk. Punk: Attitude shows how classic teenage rebellion combined with the musical and social environment of the time created the punk movement, as well as how its unique identity of independence and D.I.Y. ideology has continued to define youth culture.
With a star-studded cast (including Henry Rollins, Tommy Ramone, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones, Pete Shelley, Siouxsie Sioux and many more), Punk! Attitude takes an original look at the movement, venturing beyond the music, the fashion and beyond the hype. The film documents the punk scene in the UK and the US from the early influences to the post-punk scene.