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Questlove‘s new documentary has won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance Film Festival.
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) documents the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
“It has always been a dream of mine to direct films and telling this story has truly been an amazing experience,” Questlove wrote in a statement following his win.
“I am overwhelmed and honored by the reception the film is receiving and want to give special thanks to Sundance, and my production partners: Radical Media, Vulcan Productions, Concordia, Play/Action Pictures and LarryBilly Productions.”
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— Director ?uestlove (@questlove) February 3, 2021
Announced at the end of 2019, the documentary originally had the title Black Woodstock.
“I am truly excited to help bring the passion, the story and the music of the Harlem Cultural Festival to audiences around the world,” Thompson said in a statement at the time of the announcement.
“The performances are extraordinary. I was stunned when I saw the lost footage for the first time. It’s incredible to look at 50 years of history that’s never been told, and I’m eager and humbled to tell that story.”
The outdoor event, which was held in Harlem’s Mount Morris Park in 1969, welcomed the likes of Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and The Staple Singers for a musical celebration of African-American culture and unity.
Despite attracting a crowd of 300,000 attendees, the festival – held in the same year as Woodstock – failed to receive any mainstream media coverage.
Last year, it was reported that the 2020 Sundance Film Festival may have been one of the first places to be struck by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to an investigation by The Hollywood Reporter, many festival-goers came down with symptoms connected with the virus when the event kicked off in Park City in Salt Lake City on January 23, just two days after patient zero was confirmed in Washington on January 21.
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