Musician-turned-filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson will close out this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival with a keynote conversation with NOW Magazine culture editor Radheyan Simonpillai.
The Roots main man and drummer’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning film Summer Of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) debuts at the festival on Wednesday.
The documentary recounts the overlooked Harlem Cultural Festival from 1969, dubbed the “Black Woodstock” thanks to an epic lineup that included Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, Mahalia Jackson and many more artists that defined that era of Black American music. (Read our 5N-review of the film here.)
The high-quality performance footage was shot by the festival’s producer Hal Tulchin with a five-camera set-up, but languished in storage for 50 years due to lack of interest from film and TV buyers. Summer Of Soul marks the first time the footage has been seen publicly.
The keynote talk will be available for public festival audiences to watch for free during a special streaming event on May 6 at 1:30 pm via the Hot Docs live events page at hotdocs.ca. Ticket holders for the film will also be able to watch it.
It will be also be available to view via the festival’s industry conference platform until May 9 and all-access festival pass holders can view it online until May 31. The Hot Docs film festival runs online to May 9.
Summer Of Soul is scheduled for a theatrical run on July 2. Watch the teaser trailer below:
