DAVID DINERSTEIN

SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) (2021)
Starring Stevie Wonder, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jesse Jackson, Chris Rock, Tony Lawrence, Nina Simone, B.b. King, Abbey Lincoln, Mavis Staples and Moms Mabley. Directed by Ahmir-Khalib Thompson.

A powerful and transporting documentary - part music film, 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 Marcus Garvey Park. The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. Summer of Soul shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto, Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach and more.

REVIEWS Summer of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Would Not Be Televised) - History reveals itself