Jazz Film: Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
An eye-opening documentary about jazz, decolonization and the Cold War.
An ambitious and thought-provoking film about jazz, colonialism and the coup d'état in Congo in 1960. How artists like Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone became involuntary actors in the politics of the great powers. An original and political musical document from the perspective of the present and the future.
Patrice Lumumba was the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the country's independence from Belgian colonial rule in 1960. However, it wasn't long before he was deposed in a coup d'état, and he was later killed by actors with ties to Western regimes.
In his critically acclaimed new film, the Belgian artist and filmmaker tells Johan Grimonprez the story of how black American jazz musicians were drawn into the aftermath of the political murder, in a 1960s characterized by decolonization, the Cold War, and major social and political upheavals at home in the United States.
Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie are among the greats we meet in this eye-opening documentary. The United States was desperate to retain control of Congo's vast uranium deposits, and in an attempt to exert soft power, the authorities mobilized some of the country's greatest black artists in an attempt to turn African public opinion.
The film is a thought-provoking, provocative and innovative film about historical events that we see the aftermath of to this day.
Director: Johan Grimonprez / Belgium et al. / 2024 / 150 min / Free admission
All performances are at Kongsberg Cinema at Krona. Officials and festival pass holders have free admission to all performances.
Tickets on www.kongsbergkino.no and in the cinema kiosk at Krona.
The views are supported by Norwegian Film Institute og KF Kongsberg cinema.
