This loving, vivacious doc chronicles disco’s trajectory, from its origins in the early 70s through its harsh repudiation in the early 80s to its triumphant rebirth as house music. Directors Peter Mishara and Omar Majeed use interviews, needle drops, and a treasure trove of archival footage to convey not only the facts about the genre, but the feel of it as well.
In many ways, DJs were the real stars of disco, and at times it seems like the directors have paid tribute to that fact by making an annotated, illustrated mixtape session. The cutting matches the relentless drive of the music: the “four on the floor” bass kick, the fast tempo of the high hat, and the snap of the snare. The film is a history lesson as well, offering a cogent examination of the sexual, gender, and racial politics connected to the genre. Beautifully assembled, loaded with info, and bursting with energy, Disco’s Revenge is a joyful experience.
Oct 4 & 6: Q&A with directors Omar Majeed & Peter Mishara
Presented by
Media Partner
Nile Rodgers, Billy Porter, Nona Hendryx, Grandmaster Flash, Fab Five Freddy, Nicky Siano
Canada
2024
English
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Nile Rodgers, Stanley Nelson Jr., Vivian Scott Chew
Producer
Noah Segal, Sam Sutherland, Christina Piovesan, Dave Harris
Screenwriter
Peter Mishara, Omar Majeed
Cinematography
Ashley Iris Gill
Editor
Omar Majeed, Peter Mishara, Navin Harrilal
Original Music
Jody Colero, Tiffany Su
Omar Majeed
Omar Majeed is an award-winning director, editor, and producer who studied cinema at York University. His first feature-length documentary TAQWACORE: The Birth of Punk Islam (2009) chronicled the rise of the nascent Muslim Punk scene in North America and Pakistan. In 2012, Omar produced and co-directed The Frog Princes (2012) profiling a Montreal-based theatre troupe of young adults with developmental disabilities which aired nationally on CBC.
Filmography: TAQWACORE: The Birth of Punk (2009)
Peter Mishara
Peter Mishara is a writer and director from New York City. He is best known for the TV mini series The Artists (2018) and the short film Sprnva (2014). Disco’s Revenge is his first feature film and co-directed with Omar Majeed.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Nutcracker at Wethersfield
Back in the long, dark Covid winter of 2020, there was no way the New York City Ballet could mount their traditional Christmas production of Tchaikovsky's fairytale. But choreographer Troy Schumacher had a dream to save the show -- reimagining a classic.
Pictures of Ghosts
A companion piece to Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent, Pictures of Ghosts is a lovely, relaxed, ruminative riff on movies, memory, the imaginative space conferred by that place we call Cinema, seasoned with love and boundless anecdotes.
North of Ourselves
In the depths of winter, two adventurers set out to cross Quebec from one end to the other on bike and skis, exploring its staggering geography and meeting its inhabitants (human and otherwise) along the way.
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
Cutting Through Rocks
Winner of Sundance's World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi — motorcyclist, midwife, and first-ever councilwoman elected in her Iranian village. A vérité triumph by Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni.