INTERNATIONAL OFFICIAL SECTION
Spain premiere

Tribute to the dean of American music criticism: Robert Christgau. The film unfolds over five decades of an unbribable writer—a contributor to Rolling Stone, Creem, Spin, and The New York Times—who, starting in 1969, defined the craft from The Village Voice with the unmistakable style of his Consumer Guide section: short, incisive, cliché-free reviews that were extraordinarily well written, capturing the essence in just a few lines. He was among the first to champion the punk scene at CBGB’s, the funk of George Clinton, and the soul of Al Green. Now in his eighties, we meet him alongside his partner, fellow writer Carola Dibbell: a pair of endearing, straight-talking scholars. As he continues to write relentlessly, now on Substack, the film delivers a love letter to a profession on the brink of extinction and to the passionate analysis of popular culture.

Special Jury Award at SXSW 2026.

Cast: Robert Christgau, Carola Dibbell, Joe Levy, Greil Marcus, Thurston Moore, Randy Newman, Amanda Petrusich, Ann Powers, Boots Riley, Colson Whitehead.

Screenings:
31 October, 5:15 p.m. VOSC
With a warm-up session by Roger Estrada (Ruta 66, Dublab).

4 November, 8:45 p.m. VOSE