Pick #1,219
Dir. Questlove · United States of America · English
An exhilarating, Oscar-winning concert film and a moving snapshot of post-civil rights Black history
2021 Movie Documentary, Drama, History
Our take
Summer of Soul would already be remarkable if it was just a collection of some of the greatest live performances ever put to film. Boasting a roster that includes Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight, and Sly and the Family Stone, the nearly-forgotten 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival featured in the documentary was an all-star catalog of some of the biggest names in popular music, all at pivotal moments in their careers. Seeing them at the height of their powers, in front of a Black audience that meant so much to them, makes for an unexpectedly emotional experience.
But Summer of Soul also expands beyond the actual concert, using the Harlem Cultural Festival to represent a turning point in Black culture and history, especially after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. Through the film’s pristine, electric editing and gorgeous archival restoration, music becomes a communal act of mourning, a rallying cry to face the uncertain future, and a celebration of a people and a heritage continuing to fight against erasure and persecution.
What it won
Oscars
1 win
BAFTA
1 win · 3 noms
DGA
1 nom
Spirit Awards
1 win · 1 nom
Sundance
2 wins
Nat. Board of Review
1 win · 1 nom
The story
During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost — until now.
Elsewhere
"Among the skills required of any documentarian is a croupier's cunning, and you have to be quick to notice the way in which Thompson, holding a full deck of footage, shuffles and deals."
— Anthony Lane
"There is so much beauty in this film, in detail in the outfits of the attendees, the composition of the interviews and in the tightly constructed contextualising montages."
— Leila Latif
The details
Who picked it
Emil Hofileña is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. He also writes as a theater critic, with work published in Rogue and Out of Print, among others. He’s probably crying over a movie or an episode as we speak.
