The Ballad of Shirley Collins

The Ballad of Shirley Collins

The Ballad of Shirley Collins

Each year, the Northwest Film Center rounds up a slew of new and noteworthy music-related films for its Reel Music series—illustrating not just the power of documentary filmmaking as a tool to tell musicians’ stories, but also the ever-changing roles that sound and music play in today’s audiovisual narratives. With fewer films than previous years, this year’s Reel Music is a more focused, manageable batch to navigate, with a handful of must-sees (and a couple you should skip).

Robert Ham is the Mercury's former Copy Chief. He writes regularly about music, film, arts, sports, and tech. He lives semi-consciously in far SE Portland with his wife, child, and four ornery cats.

Ned Lannamann is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. He writes about film, music, TV, books, travel, tech, food, drink, outdoors, and other things.

Formerly a senior editor and the music editor at the Mercury, CK Dolan writes about music, movies, TV, the death industry, and pickles.