Summer of Soul

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a 2021 American documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his directorial debut. It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2021, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary categories, and received a limited theatrical release in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on June 25, 2021, before expanding and being released for streaming on Hulu the following weekend.
The film received acclaim from critics, with particular praise given to the restoration of the footage used. It won numerous awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the 6th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, where it won in all six categories in which it was nominated; 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. 
==Synopsis==
The film examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which took place on six Sundays between June 29 and August 24 at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem, using professional footage of the festival that was filmed as it happened, stock news footage, and modern-day interviews with attendees, musicians, and other commentators to help provide historical background and social context. Despite having a large attendance and performers such as Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, The 5th Dimension, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mavis Staples, Blinky Williams, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Chambers Brothers, the festival is much less well-known in the 21st-century than is Woodstock (which took place on the same weekend as one of the days of the Harlem Cultural Festival), and the filmmakers investigate this, among other topics.
==Release==
The film 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. It was acquired by Searchlight Pictures and Hulu, and was released in the United States at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles and the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 multiplex in New York City on June 25, 2021, before expanding nationwide and being released for streaming on Hulu the following weekend. The film was set to be distributed internationally in theaters and on Disney+ Hotstar on July 30, 2021, and on Disney+ and Star+ on November 19, 2021, and was made available on the U.S. version of Disney+ on February 8, 2022, in time for Black History Month. It made its broadcast television premiere on ABC on February 20, 2022. On February 8th 2022 20th Century Studios released a hard copy on Standard Definition DVD. In a bonus feature interview, Questlove mused about expanding the film with the wealth of material he had to cut for time.
On April 22, 2021, it was announced that Questlove would introduce the first trailer for the film during the 93rd Academy Awards, for which he served as music director. The trailer debuted on April 25, 2021.
==Reception==
==Home media==
On February 8, 2022 the film was released on Standard Definition DVD by 20th Century Studios and High Definition digital streaming by Disney+. Bonus features include an audio commentary by Questlove who muses about re-editing a longer version that would include great footage he had to cut for time, and two behind the scenes featurettes ("Soul Searching" and "Harlem: Then & Now").
==External links==
* For Questlove, The Pandemic Meant Embracing Quiet — And Buying A Farm July 21, 2021 radio interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air
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* Summer of Soul on MUBI
Category:2021 films
Category:English-language films
Category:2021 documentary films
Category:Documentary films about African Americans
Category:American documentary films
Category:American films
Category:Searchlight Pictures films
Category:Hulu original films
Category:Documentary films about music festivals
Category:Sundance Film Festival award winners
Category:Collage film
Category:2021 directorial debut films
Category:Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners
Category:Peabody Award-winning broadcasts