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Positive Force, the D.C.-based punk activist collective, needs your help. No, they’re not collecting cans or gathering volunteers or collecting funds for a worthy charity this time. A Kickstarter campaign is raising money to complete a Positive Force documentary.
The film, “Positive Force: More Than a Witness,” is directed by D.C. multimedia artist Robin Bell, and covers the history of the group. Bell intercuts interviews with past and present Positive Force members with benefit-show performances by bands like Fugazi, Bikini Kill, and Anti-Flag. The funds will help Bell finish the film, which has been in the works for two years. As of this afternoon, the Kickstarter campaign is about $2,000 short of its $15,000 goal, with about 57 hours to go. If you give $1,000 or more, you get an extremely appropriate gift: a Positive Force house show. (Clean-up, however, is not included.)
Positive Force emerged from D.C.’s ’80s punk scene and was for years a prominent organ of the local DIY show circuit. After ebbing during the mid-2000s, the group has been resurgent in recent years, regularly hosting benefit shows at St. Stephens Church and other venues. The group’s recent Ted Leo show packed the cavernous Sacred Heart Church on 16th Street NW. It’s fair to say that Positive Force is more relevant these days than it’s been in a long time.
There’s an event for the film tonight at Gold Leaf Studios on 443 I St. NW. Jerry Busher—-of Fugazi, French Toast, and other groups—-will perform, and Bell will screen clips from the film. If the film is fully funded, Bell’s proceeds from DVD sales will go toward toward We Are Family DC, the senior-services nonprofit operated by Positive Force member Mark Andersen.