A film about The Residents, the mysterious avant-garde art collective who have spent five decades hidden behind eyeball masks — and never once revealed their identities. Directed by Don Hardy, the film had its world premiere at SXSW in 2015, followed by screenings at CIMMfest, DOXA, the Independent Film Festival Boston, and Dances With Films.
Theory of Obscurity chronicles the strange, prolific career of The Residents — an anonymous art collective who, for more than 40 years, have released a staggering body of music, film, and performance while concealing their identities behind giant eyeball masks. Told through rare archival footage and interviews with the band's inner circle and famous admirers, the film is a portrait of radical anonymity in an age obsessed with fame. Directed by Don Hardy, it draws on decades of unreleased material to piece together how the group made music without ever stepping into the light — and had its world premiere at SXSW in 2015.
SXSW 2015 (World Premiere) · CIMMfest · DOXA Documentary Film Festival · Independent Film Festival Boston · Dances With Films
- Directed by Don Hardy
- Music by The Residents
- Executive Producers Yoshifumi Okuyama, The Noxious Twins
- Produced by Don Hardy, Barton John Bishoff, Josh Keppel
- Associate Producers David R. Fulmer, Kenneth A. Eddings, Remco Breeker, Dr. B. Kim Andrews
- Cinematography by Don Hardy, Barton John Bishoff, Josh Keppel
- Edited by Don Hardy, Barton John Bishoff
