June Screenings

SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)

• Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
• USA / 2021 / DCP / Colour / 117’ / English; Turkish s.t.

• Director of Photography: Shawn Peters
• Editing: Joshua L. Pearson
• Producer: David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel
• Production Co.: Mass Distraction Media
• World Sales: Disney
• Turkish Rights: UIP

18+

This film is screened within the Galas section.

Theme Sponsor

2021 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award – US Documentary Competition

In 1969, during the same summer as Woodstock, a different music festival took place 100 miles away, yet it received virtually no coverage from the mainstream media. The Harlem Cultural Festival, which was held at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem lasted for six weeks. An attendance of 300,000 and performers such as Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Sly and the Family Stone, later was dubbed the “Black Woodstock”. 40 hours of never-seen-before footage was originally shot by TV pioneer Hal Tulchin, but remained in storage for the past 50 years until now. This event, pivotal of the culture, fashion, music, and African American history was unearthed and brought to film by drummer, musician, and writer Questlove, a founder of The Roots.

This film was a Meetings on the Bridge participant.