Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson was not just the musical director for Sunday night's Oscar ceremony, but he was also able to throw a nod towards his own directorial debut, music doc Summer Of Soul. The trailer for the film, which saw success at Sundance (it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award), is now online.
Summer Of Soul is described as part music film and part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now...
Concert performances here include such musical greats as Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto and more. US readers can see this in cinemas and on Hulu from 2 July. The film doesn't yet have a set UK date, but we'd expect it to arrive on the big screen and possibly via Disney+'s Star Section this summer.