As part of the ongoing Diversity Film Series, the Sinclair community are being treated to a free viewing of the celebrated documentary Summer of Soul on June 27. Scheduled right in time for the hottest season of the year, audiences at the Sinclair Conference Center are in for a jazz-fueled, funkadelic treat featuring some of America’s most esteemed performers.
Summer of Soul premiered in 2021, taking home the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival that year. The movie marked the debut of Grammy-award winning artist Ahmir ‘QuestLove’ Thompson as a filmmaker, earning plaudits for its intimate and wide-ranging exploration of one of the most exciting music festivals in US history. There are plenty of artists viewers will instantly recognized thanks to their major contributions to American music, including legends like B.B. King, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and Glady Knight.
Shining a light on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, Summer of Soul is a documentary that aims to explore a monumental meeting of artists, music, and styles. The festival was a six-week musical extravaganza, occurring at the height of the social revolution occurring during the Vietnam era. In a year that also witnessed the landmark Woodstock Music Festival, the eponymous Summer of Soul would leave a similar impact on African American culture, song, and dance. Performances in the Big Apple’s Mount Morris Historic District would make waves around the country and certain parts of the world.
The film is one of many being shown as part of the Diversity Film Series, which is organized by the college’s Diversity Office. Summer of Soul will be the second movie shown as part of the ongoing program this month, the first being the 2021 drama Palmer. Other movies shown this year include Between the World in Me, Armageddon Time, and The Banker among others.
Ismael David Mujahid
Associate Editor