How Director Tamra Davis Immortalized her Best Summer
Still from The Best Summer. Photo courtesy of the Calgary International Film Festival.
The best summer of your life might be measured by the number of days spent by the water, ice cream cones eaten, or new friendships made. In Tamra Davis’ case, The Best Summer is made up of nostalgia, authenticity and a distinct touch of femininity.
The Best Summer is a found-footage concert tour documentary following Davis and her close friends as they take on the Summersault tour in 1995. The festival tours Australia, spanning a little over a year, and showcases music that defines the ’90s and still sets the bar for alternative artists today.
As an established filmmaker, Davis has all she needs to capture Summersault: her vision and her camera. The one thing she is missing is the intent to make a documentary. That comes roughly 30 years later.
“I never made it as a documentary, I never even thought of it.” Davis says.
The only reason we have The Best Summer now is because the physical tapes themselves are unearthed when Davis begins packing her belongings as she evacuates the Palisades fires in early 2025.
The literal found footage gives audiences a look back in time. The Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth and Beck all grace Davis’ camera — onstage and off. In between these long takes of never-before-seen concert footage, Davis places gems of intimate moments and interviews.
The sense of intimacy is central to the film. Davis is there to support her then-husband, Mike D Diamond from the Beastie Boys. Her camera gives her a purpose and a little thrill throughout the festival’s downtime. She is a filmmaker by nature, but during Summersault she is just a fan with a camera, recording the people and music she loves. Seeing the footage years later, Davis describes the nearly uncanny feeling of stepping back in time.
“I saw my own interactions and the memories came back,” Davis says, “ It felt like looking back into my own brain.”
The film captures much more than music. Viewers quickly pick up on the tight-knit relationships being shown on screen. Davis says even some of the featured musicians are surprised by the memories the footage brings back. Adam Horowitz of the Beastie Boys is shocked by how personal some scenes feel.
“[Adam] felt like I looked into his brain and pulled out his memories,” Davis says.
That sentiment strikes home for Davis. The memories are shared by everyone throughout Summersault, and now, with The Best Summer, she gets to share them with a wider audience.
“This crazy time capsule, it’s not just mine,” Davis says. “It’s our shared memory of what happened in the ’90s and how great it was.”
Individualism and community both guide Davis’ filmmaking. Through her extensive career, Davis navigates an industry in which female directors are far less common. Instead of seeing the ways this may limit her, Davis chooses to use her differences to her advantage.
“I wanted to show that my point of view as a girl is different,” Davis says, “the interviews that I get and the access that I get, everything is different.”
Davis recalls women approaching her after screenings and commenting on the subtleties she is able to pick up on with her camera.
“Women came up to me afterwards, and they talked about how they could see how intimate we were– just from our looks,” Davis said, talking about her relationship with Mike D.
These aren’t portraits of rock stars shot from a distance. They are photographed by someone who knows them and is part of their world. Davis describes her process simply.
“It’s shot with the eye of a fan,” Davis says.
This is the heart of the film: the fun! Before directing feature films, Davis built up a résumé creating and directing over 150 music videos. The Best Summer feels different from everything else she’s made, probably because there is never any intention to make it.
Nothing beyond the interview questions was planned; this allows the footage to come to life.
“I stayed true to my artistic self and made a film,” she says.
The Best Summer is a personal archive and something larger. It’s proof that trusting your own perspective can preserve something that might otherwise have slipped away forever. Even Davis herself can’t help being impressed by how it turns out.
“I look back, and I’m like damn, who’s that girl?” Davis says.
That girl has a camera, a passion for music and an instinct to keep filming. Decades later, the footage is a bridge between generations. It’s a glimpse into a moment that can never be again.
The genuine heart of the footage resonates, allowing audiences of all ages to connect with it. It isn’t made as a time capsule; it becomes one because Davis is there looking through her camera. Now, we can look back with her.