CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — In a packed Culbreth Theater at the University of Virginia on Sunday, scores of UVA supporters laughed, cheered and even sang along to the Good Ole Song during the Virginia Film Festival’s screening of “Pep Banned,” a new documentary from co-directors Chris Farina and Bill Reifenberger that chronicles the rise and fall of the university’s famous and at times infamous Pep Band, which was active from 1974-2003.

The film follows the band’s full history and follows executive producer and former Pep Band member Ron Culberson as he pieces together the story from the band’s formation until its dissolvement, covering plenty of controversies along the way. The film also interviews dozens of former members, many of whom were in the audience for the screening.

“I think the first laugh came within the first minute or so, and I could relax after that,” Culberson told Cville Right Now after the event.

Afterward, Culberson was joined by fellow band alums Mike McClellan and Dave Black as well as Reifenberger for a discussion moderated by UVA drama professor and alum Jenny Wales. The four men answered questions from Wales and the audience and even shared a few stories and jokes that didn’t make it into the film.

During the discussion, Reifenberger revealed that it took a bit of convincing to get Culberson on camera, but the director felt that with such a wide-ranging story, some type of structure was needed to tie everything together.

“Once I got meet Ron and learn his personality and stuff, I just felt like he was just walking, emblematic, he just is the pep band in real life,” Reifenberger said, followed by a round of applause from many of the alumni in attendance.

Culberson told Cville Right Now afterward that he had been a motivational speaker for 27 years, so he was used to be stage with his own material, but narrating the film was “a little more like acting,” which came with some learning curves.

“I begged them initially not to put me in the movie,” he said, “but they just felt like that was a good storyline to be the through line for the whole thing.”

Throughout the film, Culberson details the Pep Band’s journey, with the film detailing plenty of the band’s controversies over the years, from their infamous bowl game performances to complaints from multiple state governors and squabbles with UVA administration. At time, the mention of a few names even solicited boos from the audience. But despite all of the controversies, a few audience members did ask the fateful question — could the Pep Band ever return? Or at the very least could the alumni be allowed to perform at a football game again?

“What could possibly go wrong?”  Black joked at the latter question.

The alumni in the discussion had various thoughts on the idea of a permanent return for the band. McClellan said he didn’t think the band of the ’70s and ’80s could survive today, quipping that “We didn’t even show you the worst stuff.”

“I think it’s just one of those things, you might want to think about as just sort of dropping the mic,” he continued. “Plus, the hardest part of it starting again is all of you would have to give your vest back.”

But Black gave a much optimistic take, saying that if new people could breathe life into the idea, it might just be possible.

“It wouldn’t be at athletics anymore,” he said, “but there’s a place where humor and music and some sort of review, and I hope people are inspired. It’s so much fun to put on shows. It speaks to the students and let’s just see what happens.”