Searchlight Pictures and Hulu, together with Disney General Entertainment’s new BIPOC Creator Initiative, announced the release date for Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s debut film SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED), winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.
The film will be released in theaters and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. on July 2, 2021.
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record—created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. For six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park).
After that summer, the footage was largely unseen for over 50 years – until now. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by B.B. King, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Stevie Wonder and more.
“Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” is directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and produced by Joseph Patel, p.g.a., Robert Fyvolent, p.g.a., and David Dinerstein, p.g.a., with RadicalMedia serving as creative and production partners. Executive producers are 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 Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Jonathan Silberberg and Nicole Stott are co-executive producers. The film is a Vulcan Productions Production in Association with Concordia Studio, Play/Action Pictures, LarryBilly Productions, and produced by Mass Distraction Media and RadicalMedia.
Summer of Soul premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. Together with Disney’s new BIPOC Creator Initiative, Searchlight Pictures will release it theatrically, as well as streaming exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. on July 2. The film will also stream internationally on Star at a date to be confirmed.
