WAKE UP PUNK (15)
Preview
In November 2016, activist and businessman Joe Corre, who co-founded British lingerie firm Agent Provocateur, and his mother, Vivienne Westwood, staged a protest against the commodification of punk on a barge moored on the River Thames in London.
Next to Chelsea Embankment, they set fire to punk memorabilia worth an estimated £5m as – literally – an incendiary act of defiance.
The stunt was designed to draw attention to the climate crisis and the imminent need to pursue sustainable energy.
In this documentary directed by Nigel Askew, Corre and his brother Ben talk at length with their mother about the punk era and their relationship with their trailblazing father, Malcolm Mclaren.
Westwood shares personal anecdotes about the music, politics and fashion of the era and draws comparisons between the vibrancy of the punk revolution and the climate activism of younger generations.
In the face of voter apathy and environmental disaster, Wake Up Punk is a passionate call to arms to affect lasting social change through decisive, direct action.
In cinemas from Friday