by Tim Gordon
The story of the music event overshadowed in history by Woodstock, finally gets its chance to shine in the musical documentary, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).
The documentary examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which was held at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem and lasted for six weeks. Despite having a large attendance and performers such as Stevie Wonder, The 5th Dimension, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Sly and the Family Stone, the festival was seen as obscure in pop culture, something that the documentarians investigate.
Directed by Amir “Questlove” Thompson of the Roots, Summer of Soul premiered on January 28, 2021, at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the US Documentary Competition. The film was acquired by Searchlight Pictures and Hulu. It will be released in the United States on July 2, 2021, in theaters and on Hulu.
Check out the trailer and poster, below:
