EXCLUSIVE:Lightyear Entertainmenthas acquired worldwide rights to feature documentaryHarley Flanagan: Wired For Chaoscharting the tumultuous life and survival of the titular hardcore punk artist and Cro-Mags band founder.
The work, which premiered atDOC NYClast November and also played at Slamdance, explores how Flanagans defied the odds of childhood neglect and sexual abuse as well as drugs, violence and PTSD.
Lightyear Entertainment will release the film theatrically in North America beginning June 20, 2025, followed by release to VOD, all leading digital platforms and the home entertainment marketplace.
Harley Flanagan
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The announcement was made by Arnie Holland, President, Lightyear Entertainment and Producer Laura Lee Flanagan on behalf of the film.
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A true original, Harley Flanagan has lived a hundred lives, and theyre all on screen in this incredibly affecting and powerful documentary, said Holland.
Whether youre a music fan or not,Wired For Chaosgives audiences front row seats to Harleys incredible life story one thats obviously still being written today.
The film is directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winner Rex Miller (Citizen Ashe) and produced by Flanagan in conjunction with Rexpix Media.
The son of a petty criminal and Beat Generation muse and Andy Warhol collaborator Rose Rosebud Feliu-Pettet, Flanagan was thrown into the Lower East Sides underground scene in the 1970s.
Left to fend for himself, by his teens, he was squatting in Alphabet City, stealing food, dodging gangs, and living in a world that he describes as some serious Lord of the Flies shit.
As his life descended into a hellish day-to-day, he was simultaneously becoming a punk rock legend: at the age of 11, he was drumming at CBGBs and Maxs Kansas City with his aunts band, the Stimulators, to then become the frontman of the hardcore punk band the Cro-Mags.
The documentary dives into his chaotic life and charts his survival as he confronts demons, raises a family and recounts his past experiences in the hope of helping others.
Interviews with Flanagans friends and collaborators, who include Flea, Henry Rollins, Ice T, Roger Miret, Keith Morris, Michael Imperioli, Matt Serra, Jocko Willink, Darryl Jenifer, Glenn Danzig, Brooke Smith, Marcia Resnick, Kate Schellenbach and the late Anthony Bourdain, also help shed light on his life.
Lightyear Entertainments previous releases include Oscar-nominated dramaTanna,The Etruscan Smile, with Brian Cox,Maze,Goldstone,Voodoo Macbeth, andA-ha: The Movie.