Disney’s Searchlight Pictures and Hulu have picked up Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), from director Questlove (Soul), who makes his directorial debut.
The deal for the documentary that recently picked up Sundance’s Documentary Grand Jury Prize, was put together by Disney General Entertainment’s BIPOC Creator initiative, led by Tara Duncan and was brokered by Cinetic Media.
The music themed documentary which features appearances by Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, the Staples Sisters, Stevie Wonder, Glady Knight and the Pips, Max Roach, Abby Lincoln and more, set for a theatrical release as well as streaming on Hulu in America and internationally on Star and Star+.
Read: Disney Earns Multiple 2021 Golden Globe Nominations
Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is a feature documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.
The Harlem Cultural Festival took place the same summer as the famed Woodstock festival, and boasted an attendance on par with that concert 100 miles away. Over 300,000 people attended, yet it received virtually no coverage from the mainstream media. The 40 hours of never-seen-before footage has remained in storage for the past 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America’s history lost – until now.
Questlove shared his excitement on the deal in a statement:
“I’m so honored to be allowed to manifest my dreams after all this time. This is truly an honor. Summer Of Soul is a passion project and to have it resonate with so many people on so many levels has been incredibly rewarding. I am very happy to begin this new chapter with the team at Searchlight/Disney/Hulu and look forward to sharing the important story behind the film with audiences worldwide.”
Summer Of Soul is produced by Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein with RadicalMedia. Jen Isaacson, Jon Kamen, Dave Sirulnick, Jody Allen, Ruth Johnston, Rocky Collins, Jannat Gargi, Beth Hubbard, Davis Guggenheim, Laurene Powell Jobs, Jeffrey Lurie, Marie Therese Guirgis, David Barse, Ron Eisenberg, Sheila Johnson and Questlove himself serve as EPs. Jonathan Silberberg and Nicole Stott are co-executive producers. The docu is a Vulcan Productions Production in Association with Concordia Studio, Play/Action Pictures, LarryBilly Productions, and produced by Mass Distraction Media and RadicalMedia.
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