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Soundtrack To A Coup D'etat

Directed by Johan Grimonprez
2024
Belgium
150 minutes
Unclassified 15+
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A bravura cinematic essay that plays like a thriller, intertwining the story of jazz with the history of colonial machinations in the Congo. Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong feature in this Sundance winner.

Grimonprez’s award-winning documentary (Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation, Sundance) homes in on the ‘60s, when America sent jazz icons Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, and Dizzy Gillespie as ‘goodwill ambassadors’ to Africa to distract from the earlier CIA-backed assassination of Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba. With stylised flair, the film shows that “America’s secret weapon is a blue note in a minor key.” Yet jazz wasn’t just a decoy. Deftly collaging archival footage and home movies, Grimonprez traces a counter history in which Black American artists protested U.S. imperialism and built international solidarity with decolonial movements.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.

Tickets

Fri 7 Jun
6pm
Palace Central Cinemas - Cinema 1
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Past Event Cancel
Fri 7 Jun
6pm
Palace Central Cinemas - Cinema 3
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Past Event Cancel
Thu 13 Jun
8:20pm
Palace Central Cinemas - Cinema 1
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Past Event Cancel
Thu 13 Jun
8:20pm
Palace Central Cinemas - Cinema 3
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Past Event Cancel
Program Strand
FLUX
Year
2024
Classification
Unclassified 15+
Country
Belgium, France, Netherlands
Language
In French, English, Dutch and Russian with English subtitles
Director
Johan Grimonprez
Producer
Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius
Screenwriter
Johan Grimonprez
Cinematographer
Jonathan Wannyn
Editor
Rik Chaubet
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Genre
Documentary, Politics & Economics, Festival Award Winners, Music
Company Credits
Australian Distributor: Madman Entertainment
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