Summer of Soul (...Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winning debut film by legendary musician Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson (member of the acclaimed hip hop group The Roots).
In 1969, during the same summer as Woodstock, a different music festival took place 100 miles away – more than 300,000 people attended a concert known as the Harlem Cultural Festival. It was filmed, but after that summer, the footage was never seen and largely forgotten – until now.
Summer of Soul is an unearthed treasure, bringing us back to a powerful and transformative moment in history and stands as a testament to music and culture as collective empowerment.
This thrilling documentary – part concert film, part historical record – revealing an event that radiated Black history, culture, fashion and music, juxtaposes many of the performances with the cultural and socio-political upheaval happening at the time.
Summer of Soul was the opening film for this year's Sheffield Doc/Fest and is now showing at the Showroom.
- Words by
- Joe Harris
- Featured in
- Film picks