Bee Keeper was an independent record label from the late '90s, based in Lisbon, Portugal. Run by Elsa Pires, the label launched dozens of new bands by releasing their demos. Bee Keeper always had a markedly DIY aesthetics, issuing actual cassettes, accompanied by personal handwritten letters and hand drawn artwork. Eventually, the label released a few 7'' singles, some compilations on vinyl and CD, and some bands actually had their debut CD albums see the light of day as a Bee Keeper release.

Through archival footage and exclusive present day interviews, this film revisits most of the bands, key players and satellite people who took part of or witnessed Bee Keeper's trajectory. By doing that, not only does it document the existence of a seemingly underground current that managed to touch so many people, but it also introduces the label to today's public. A public made up of people too young to remember and also those who 'were there when it happened' but never realised what was happening.

The documentary on Bee Keeper will be released in 2012; in the meantime, and leading up to its release date, a series of microdocs will be made available online (one new microdoc every few weeks). The main focus of these short pieces, though, is not the Bee Keeper label itself, but the different bands that made up its catalogue, and their own stories.

Directed by Bruno Simões
Produced by Pedro Silva
Cinematography by Ivo Cordeiro

© Drumkick Films