Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile and Partyline is interviewed in Oden's documentary.

Armed with her firsthand experiences as a woman in the punk scene and camera equipment borrowed from her day job, D.C. filmmaker Amy Oden began shooting the interviews that would compose From the Back of the Room in 2007. It took four years of blood, sweat, and fundraising to produce the film that will gets its hometown premiere tonight. (The Black Cat hosted a preview screening a few weeks ago at C.L.I.T. Fest.) Oden says she was inspired to make From the Back of the Room when she realized her own punk community wasn’t the progressive utopia she once thought; consequently, her film doesn’t just document scene history—it interrogates it. While it follows in the tradition of Kerri Koch’s 2005 riot grrrl documentary Don’t Need You, Oden’s work cuts a much wider swath, spanning three decades and including women whose music is heavier than riot grrrl’s relatively glossy bop. The filmmaker’s four-year project paid off: From the Back of the Room is an exhaustive, diverse, and thoughtful meditation on women in the punk community. (Lindsay Zoladz) 8 p.m. at E Street Cinema. $10.

OTHER FILM

NoMa Summer Screen continues tonight—weather permitting—with The Incredibles. 9 p.m. Free.

MUSIC

The clubs are kinda quiet tonight, but Lucky Dub is at DC9 with Diegos Umbrealla and TnTrio (8:30 p.m.), Thee Lolitas are at Velvet Lounge (9 p.m.), and there's turntablism galore at the U Street Music Hall (9 p.m.).

Birchmere brings the '90s nostalgia: Joan Osborne plays in Alexandria with opener Cris Jacobs. 7:30 p.m. $35.

BOOKS

Puerto Rican novelist Esmeralda Santiago drops by Politics & Prose to talk her book Conquistadora. 7 p.m. Free.

Your next seven days should be filled with laughter. The following could help.

Friday, July 1: Pearl and the Beard at The Red Palace

There’s a really good stand up show at the State Theatre for only $5 that features some of D.C.’s finest, and on most nights, it would get this space, but Pearl and the Beard holds a special place in my heart. Besides putting on one of the most fun times you can have watching a three-piece, the Brooklyn trio  also put a nice spin on the musical legacy of Will Smith (we are in the 11th year of his Willenium). Pearl and the Beard is able to get laughs during one song and pull tears in another. I can’t promise the band will bust your gut, but I can guarantee a smile or two. 8:30 p.m., $10, 21+.

Saturday, July 2: Raspberry Brothers present The Terminator at Arlington Draft House
Last night my friend asked me if he and his date should watch Robocop or The Terminator. I said T2 because of its progressive stance on women’s rights. He said Terminotor will have to suffice. I asked if he could compete with the former governor of California’s physique. He asked if he could compete with a robot cop. I responded that you don’t have to because no woman would ever willingly move to Detroit. He laughed. I’m pretty sure the Raspberry Brothers will have much better quips for this MSK inspired roast of James Cameron’s work. 9:30 p.m., $15, 21+.

Monday, July 4: Walk around the National Mall using the Bluebrain National Mall app
It wouldn’t surprise me if Bluebrain wrote something into this revolutionary piece of art and technology that covers this holiday. My hope is that it just says, “Go home. This day is not for you,” on repeat until you’re four blocks from the mall. Whenever, free, all-ages.

Tuesday, July 5: Rock the Grill at Austin Grill
In the continuing tradition of awful names for comedy showcases, Rock the Grill has the potential to be a good show if simply for the fact that it’s the only game in (or near) town. Independence Day weekend/week is bad for stand-up, but then again, any holiday that celebrates anything is bad for stand-up. Back to the name. Why use the word rock? It conjures up one of two things, Chris Rock, who will not be there, and an '80s hair metal tribute night. 9 p.m., 21+.

Wednesday, July 6: Ghostbusters 2 at NoMa Summer Screen
Ghostbusters 3 doesn’t need to get made. No. 2 is proof why. The movie just isn’t that great. Don’t get me wrong, it’s highly enjoyable, but that Bill Murrary is gone and he’s not coming back. We’re stuck with Lost in Translation Bill Murray who is very serious and sad. Even so, this is worth attending because whenever you hear someone under the age of 23 exclaim that this is the superior version, you’ll feel old. Also, New York City used to be a lot dirtier. 9 p.m., free, all ages.

In case you missed it, our own Jon Fischer gave some modest advice for Taffety Punk Theatre Company regarding its "Bootleg Shakespeare" stagings, local hip-hop band The Cornel West Theory dropped its latest mixtape yesterday, and J. Roddy Walston gets down to business.

ReadysetDC interviews social activist and poet Anne Waldman during her visit to celebrate the National Gallery of Art's exhibition of "Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg." Waldman performed Ginsberg's iconic poem "Howl" before an audience at Busboys and Poets, accompanied by a string quartet led by Matthew Hemerlein. The Ginsberg exhibition runs until Sept. 16.

If stamps are more your thing (who knows?), the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill is hosting a three-day Congressional Stamp Exhibit. The Smithsonian's National Postal Museum will display stamps from the personal collections of Members of Congress. We'd rather play with legos at the National Building Museum.

That's all, for today. Enjoy Wednesday. It's already starting off well with Chocolate City Beer moving into town. And oh yeah, Inception, was indeed, a mind-fuck.

Photo by Christopher Dombres. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Movies aren't the event's only draw. If packing a picnic basket is too much trouble, there's eats from competitive barbeque team-cum-caterers Smokin' Somethin', as well as quintessential summer fare like hot dogs and Italian ice. Local DJ collective Fatback again provides the tunes. The event's rain or shine, so if tonight's forecast doesn't keep you away, you'll still probably want to wear something waterproof.

NoMa Summer Screen takes place every Wednesday through July 28 at the grassy lot at L Street NE between 2nd and 3rd Streets, one block from the New York Avenue Metro station. 7:00-11:00 p.m. Free.

The film chronicles Dylan's rise to superstardom, from being booed by Guthrie purists at the Newport Folk Festival to getting mauled by fans in London. Scorcese culls footage from Dylan's 1961-1966 performances and press conferences, and interviews the ever cryptic icon. What emerges, despite Dylan's best efforts at obfuscation, is a portrait of the artist broader than D.A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back (1967), yet more focused than Todd Haynes' I'm Not There.

NoMa screenings are held Wednesdays, 7 p.m.-midnight, on the large grassy lot on L Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets NE, one block from the New York Avenue Metro station. Series highlights include I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (on July 8) and Dig! (July 29).