Rediscovered Hi8 footage drops us straight into 1995, backstage at Australia’s Summersault tour with Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, Pavement, Beck and more. Tamra Davis’s camcorder captures the music, fashion and unguarded energy of an alternative culture in full flight.

2026
The Best Summer
The Best Summer
Director
Runtime
84 Minutes
Country
United States
Classification
Unclassified 18+
Shaggy hair, baggy clothes, wraparound sunglasses and glorious low-fi Hi8 video. The Best Summer drops us straight into 1995, backstage at Australia’s Summersault tour with Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, Pavement, Beck and a fledgling Foo Fighters. Billy Madison (1995) director Tamra Davis was travelling with then-husband Mike D of Beastie Boys when she turned her camcorder on the musicians around her, capturing performances, conversations, downtime and the chaos in between. Rediscovered three decades later, the footage retains the loose intimacy of a home movie and the thrill of being somewhere you shouldn’t. With no contemporary talking heads interrupting the journey, Davis immerses us in an alternative music culture before smartphones, social media and everyone knowing where the camera is - when some of the era’s defining artists were still young enough to simply hang out together.
“Manna from heaven.”
The Scotsman
“A fascinating insight into these iconic bands in their youth.”
Rolling Stone
Sundance
Sydney
Melbourne
Tribeca
Film Credits
Director
Tamra Davis
Year
2026
Country
United States
Language
English
Type
Feature Documentary
Program Strand
Music on Film
Producer
Tamra Davis
Cinematographer
Tamra Davis
Editor
Jessica Hernandez
Film Source
Madman Entertainment
Genre
Documentary & Music
