The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) announced that Devo co-founder and lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh will visit Boulder for the festival’s 21st iteration in March. The cult-hit composer will appear during a screening of the new documentary “Devo,” along with Anita Greenspan, one of the film’s producers.

“We are thrilled to be screening ‘Devo’ at BIFF 2025,” said Robin Beeck, BIFF’s executive director. “The band is groundbreaking, innovative and fun — and were some of the first music video pioneers. We’re big Devo fans, and couldn’t be more excited to have Mark Mothersbaugh, co-founder, lead vocalist and renowned composer join us to talk about Devo’s vision and what the future holds for the band.”

Devo’s music is tied to many out-of-the-box genres — post-punk, new wave, art punk and proto-punk — which created a sound that impacted American culture since the band’s formation in 1973. In his 2024 documentary film “Devo,” cinematographer Chris Smith materialized the essence of the band with never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with its members Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale. A release from BIFF states that Smith’s film looks at how “Devo relishes in the highs, lows, surreal moments and incredible performances of a 50-year career.”

Devo rose to fame from lo-fi beginnings in the early ’70s to becoming one of New Wave’s most innovative bands, creating a discography that includes its biggest hit, 1980’s “Whip It.” During the March screening, film festivalgoers can experience Smith’s examination of Devo’s message, music and rise to fame, the release states.

Filmmaker Smith is known for his documentaries, including 2020’s “Tiger King, which caught streaming audiences by storm during the pandemic as the film followed big cat zookeeper Joe Exotic through wild adventures.

The release states that BIFF has not yet set a time for the screening of “Devo” but festivalgoers can sign up to be notified at bit.ly/4b172xD.

BIFF kicks off March 13 with its 10th annual CineChef event followed by the famed Red Carpet Gala on March 14. Over the March 14-16 weekend, dozens of films will be screened across Boulder and Longmont. Alongside local and international filmmakers who will appear at film talkbacks, filmmaker events and BIFF parties, the festival typically brings around 25,000 people to Boulder County, co-founders and sisters Kathy and Robin Beeck said. The Adventure Film program will also return for its fifth year with a lineup of adventure films and shorts.

The festival marks BIFF’s 21st anniversary celebrating film. Tickets to the event, ranging from individual film screenings at $35 to weekend passes and VIP tickets from $195-$2,500, can be found at biff1.com.