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Summer of Soul 2021
A 2021 American independent documentary film, Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), was made by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his first directorial effort. The film focuses on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. It made its debut at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2021, where it earned both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary categories. A limited release followed in the U.S. through Searchlight Pictures on June 25, 2021, then expanded and went online via Hulu the following weekend.
The second portion of the film’s name comes from a 1970 poem and song titled "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", authored by Gil Scott-Heron. The piece sharply criticized media neglect of civil rights movements and the actual events unfolding in American streets and universities.
Critics praised the documentary, especially its restored footage. It was honored with several awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the 6th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, where it took all six categories it was nominated for. It also won Best Documentary at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards, and Best Music Film at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Many have called this one of the top films of the 21st century.
Crew
- Director
- Questlove
- Producer
- David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel
- Cinematography
- Shawn Peters
- Editing
- Joshua L. Pearson
Details
- Production
- Concordia Studio, LarryBilly Productions, Mass Distraction Media, Onyx Collective, Play/Action Pictures, RadicalMedia
- Distributor
- Hulu, Searchlight Pictures
- Box office
- $3.7 million
