Summer of Soul

What a discovery! In the summer of 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival—a celebration of Black history and culture—took place over six weekends in what is now Marcus Garvey Park in New York. The amazing concert footage of a stunning array of musicians and musical groups—everyone from Stevie Wonder and Mahalia Jackson to Nina Simone and Sly and the Family Stone to Max Roach and B.B. King—languished, unseen, for 50 years, until musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson made it his mission to resurrect this seminal cultural moment. You will be transported. You will be amazed. You will marvel. All we can say is thank you, Questlove! ‘This Sundance award-winner is an absolute joy, uncovering a treasure trove of pulse-racing, heart-stopping live music footage… Capturing Stevie Wonder at a turning point in his career, Mavis Staples duetting with Mahalia Jackson (“an unreal moment”, says Staples) and Nina Simone at the height of her performing powers, director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s feature debut intertwines music and politics in one of the best concert movies of all time.’—Mark Kermode, The Observer