Music Box Films Picks Up Punk Rock Doc ‘Revenge of the Mekons’

Music Box Films has picked up the U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to “Revenge of the Mekons,” Joe Angio’s first feature-length documentary in nearly ten years.

In “Revenge of the Mekons,” Angio, who is best known for directing the 2005 Marvin Van Peebles documentary “How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It),” remains loyal to Chicago-based artists while simultaneously shifting his focus to a slightly different, yet equally irreverent in spirit subject; namely, The Mekons, a punk rock band that originated in the U.K. but has been based out of Chicago for some time now.

“Revenge of the Mekons” recounts the band’s trajectory over the past four decades and includes interviews with some of its most ardent celebrity fans, including novelist Jonathan Franzen and “Portlandia” star Fred Armisen.

The film, which had its debut at last year’s DOC NYC, is scheduled to debut theatrically at New York’s Film Forum on October 29. Music Box Films will follow the theatrical debut with a platform rollout that is slated to take place in early 2015.