CBGB biopic starring Alan Rickman set for Japan release

The musical biopic ‘CBGB: The Place Where Punk Was Born’ has been announced for release in Japan on October 23. The film depicts the transformation of a small, rundown bar in New York’s Lower East Side into the legendary epicenter of the punk and new wave movements during the 1970s.

Directed by Randall Miller, the film stars the late Alan Rickman as Hilly Crystal, the club’s founder. Crystal implemented a strict “original songs only” policy, which attracted influential artists such as Television, Patti Smith, the Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads. The narrative follows Crystal’s journey from personal struggles to establishing a venue that would eventually reshape the global rock scene.

The film highlights the DIY nature of the venue and its close connection to the emergence of punk culture, including the influence of ‘Punk Magazine’.