When Robb Topolski set out to share his collection of rare, turn-of-the-century barbershop quartet recordings over the Internet, he found his uploads were blocked by his service provider, the nation’s largest cable company Comcast. From this seemingly innocuous beginning, the surprising events of Barbershop Punk unfold as Tolpolski’s findings go public, casting him as wry David against a corporate Goliath in a battle over how the First Amendment should function in the Internet age. Filmmakers Georgia Sugimura Archer and Kristin Armfield contrast the struggles of the Topolski family with a series of FCC hearings, interweaving discussions on the possibility of “Net Neutrality” with deeply personal moments of triumph and heartbreak. The documentary includes in-depth interviews with such diverse personalities as Damian Kulash of OK Go, Grateful Dead lyricist and EFF Founder John Perry Barlow, actress Janeane Garofalo, musician Henry Rollins and former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry. –AFI Film Festival
