Soundtrack For A Revolution
Apr 30 - May 05, 2010
(Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman, USA, 2009, Digi-Beta, 82 min)
Soundtrack For A Revolution is a fascinating chronicle of the protest songs that inspired American civil rights activists during the 1950s and 60s. Music was crucial in helping protesters as they faced down brutal aggression with non-violence, and the energy of the freedom songs, many of which evolved from slave chants and the black church, swept people up and encouraged them to carry on.
In this documentary, riveting archival footage recorded at meetings and protests is interspersed with interviews with civil rights foot soldiers and leaders, including Congressman John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond and Ambassador Andrew Young. The film’s harrowing material includes a 1960 Mississippi state propaganda film glorifying segregation while the television news records freedom marchers being savagely beaten and attacked by dogs.
The film features new performances of the freedom songs by top artists, including John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean and The Roots, along with Blind Boys of Alabama, Anthony Hamilton, Richie Havens, TV on the Radio, Angie Stone, Mary Mary and The Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir. The music is as powerful today as it was 50 years ago.
Don't miss a special sneak-peek of the film at the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival on April 24!
Watch the trailer:
