While serving as the DJ for the 2021 Academy Awards broadcast on Sunday (and taking home a statue of his own), Questlove further multitasked by letting viewers watch the new trailer for Summer of Soul, due to hit theaters and Hulu on July 2nd via Searchlight Pictures. Initially titled Black Woodstock, the film, which debuted earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival and earned both the Audience and Grand Jury Prizes, chronicles the largely forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969—the same summer that the famed Woodstock took place just a couple hours north of NYC.
As on-screen titles explain in the new clip, mixed in with audio of Gil Scott-Heron performing “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” and video snippets of Harlem Cultural Festival performances by Nina Simone, Sly & The Family Stone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, and more, “In 1969, the same summer as Woodstock, another festival took place. It was filmed but never seen. Until now. … To re-write history—to right history: Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised).” Watch the new teaser trailer for the Questlove-directed Summer of Soul documentary below.
Summer of Soul – Official Teaser Trailer
[Video: SearchlightPictures]
[4/5/21]: Questlove‘s award-winning film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary category at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will arrive in theaters and online this summer.
On Monday, it was reported that Hulu and Searchlight Pictures will release Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) on the streaming platform and in theaters on July 2nd, 2021.
The award-winning film which premiered at Sundance earlier this year tells the story of the six-day concert series that took place in Mount Morris Park in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in 1969. Amazingly, the film includes long-lost video footage of now-legendary performances from Stevie Wonder, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and more.
Related: Questlove To Teach MasterClass On DJing, Music Curation [Video]
“It has always been a dream of mine to direct films and telling this story has truly been an amazing experience,” Questlove said about the film’s accomplishment earlier this year. “I am overwhelmed and honored by the reception the film is receiving and want to give special thanks to Sundance, and my production partners.”
Following the film’s success, it was announced Questlove would direct a forthcoming documentary about pioneering funk musician and bandleader, Sly Stone.
Watch Questlove discuss the acclaimed Summer of Soul documentary in a 2021 interview with Deadline Hollywood below.
Questlove Discusses Summer of Soul
[Video: Deadline Hollywood]
[H/TÂ Rolling Stone]