PEP BANNED

A documentary film about the rise and fall of the University of Virginia Pep Band

On a crisp fall day in 1980, the University of Virginia Pep Band, also known as “The Award-Winning University of Virginia Fighting Cavalier, Indoor/Outdoor, Precision? Marching Pep Band and Chowder Society-Revue, Unlimited!” entered the field during the game between UVA and Rutgers. The announcer interrupted the halftime performance with the following:

“We regret to inform you that the Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights could not be here this afternoon. We understand that complications arose on their way to Charlottesville. Upon crossing the Jersey state line, half of the band applied for political asylum. The other half died from overexposure to clean air. The band now forms the New Jersey state trademark.”

The band formed a pipe with smoke coming out of it and played “This Land is Your Land.” For thirty-eight years, this was the format for entertaining the football crowd at halftime. From jabs at other teams to political commentary to insults about various cafeterias on the grounds of the university, the Pep Band’s goal was to entertain and address current events around Charlottesville, the nation, and throughout the world. Over the course of its lifetime, the Pep Band was loved by the students, hesitantly supported by the administration, and disliked by some alumni and sports fans. The movie Pep Banned takes the viewer through the ups and downs of this historic student run organization.

> Read about the UVA Pep Band in a recent issue of UVA Alumni Magazine

We ask you to please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the making of this film.

The film’s budget is approximately $180,000. Rosalia Films has partnered with The Film Collaborative who will serve as the project’s fiscal sponsor. As a 501(c)3 organization, The Film Collaborative can accept tax-deductible donations.

CAMPAIGN GOAL: $180,000

$35,350 Raised

Donation numbers are posted weekly.

To support this project, please click the donate button below. You will be taken to the The Film Collaborative’s website where you can make a donation using PayPal, a credit card, or a debit card.

DONATE NOW

To donate by check, make check payable to The Film Collaborative,list Pep Banned on the memo section of the check, and send to:

Rosalia Films
1209 Hazel Street
Charlottesville Va 22902

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

The film’s executive producer is speaker, author, and humorist Ron Culberson, who was a member of the University of Virginia Pep Band from 1979-1983. He participated on the halftime show writing committee every year and was one of the field conductors in 1982.

The film’s director is Charlottesville-based filmmaker Chris Farina, a 1982 UVA graduate, though most local folks will know him more as the long-time owner of the Corner Parking Lot. His memories of the late Pep Band include the 1970’s football crowd hanging out on “the hill” for the halftime show before leaving as the team was often down by 30+, along with the Band’s performance at the West Virginia game with a hilarious Family Feud skit that greatly irritated the reps from our neighboring state. A few of his past films include Seats at the Table a film about Andrew Kaufman’s UVA class Books Behind Bars, another educational film World Peace and other 4th-Grade Achievements, about local educator John Hunter and his World Peace Game, and West Main Street, a look back at Charlottesville’s past through the memories and stories of many wonderful local residents.

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