Ivywild Movie Night: Summer of Soul

Join us as we continue Ivywild Movie Nights inside the Gym with the mesmerizing feature documentary SUMMER OF SOUL along with the short film A BROKEN RECORD from Jevon McKinney, a recent graduate of the Youth Documentary Academy and he will be in attendance!

Doors open 6:30pm. Films start at 7pm. FREE and donations appreciated!

SUMMER OF SOUL (2021, PG-13, 1h 58m)
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. Over the course of 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). The footage was largely forgotten–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 concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.

A BROKEN RECORD (2021, 9min)
Throughout our country's history, black people have often been on the forefront of defining culture, style, art, and, especially, music. Black music is ingrained in our society: we can’t go a second without hearing an 808 beat, a rap song, or R&B. To what degree, though, are Black musicians appropriated? And have they received appropriate respect — and credit — for their work? These issues, and more, are examined creatively in A BROKEN RECORD by Jevon McKinney as he looks at what happens when social justice, race and entertainment intersect in America’s long history of black music. Filmmaker: Jevon McKinney, Youth Documentary Academy.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Jevon McKinney is a Boettcher Scholar at Colorado State University in Fort Collins studying Journalism and Media Communications. He is a reporter for CTV and The Rocky Mountain Collegian. He is also youth editor, writer, and interviewer for My Black Colorado Magazine. McKinney is a 2021 graduate of the Youth Documentary Academy where he directed and produced A BROKEN RECORD. He is interested in race & culture and loves telling stories about real people. He graduated from Widefield High School in 2021.

AWARDS and PRESS for SUMMER OF SOUL:
Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.

Questlove's jaw-dropping music film is an early frontrunner for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. - Parade Magazine

Watch it for everything that it is, a kind of miraculously unearthed treasure trove of music and politics and culture and soul. So much soul. - Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Summer of Soul is both a tribute to the artists and, just as importantly, their audience -- which is what makes it not just a great concert film but a great documentary, period. - David Fear, Rolling Stone

Thompson's feature debut intertwines music and politics in one of the best concert movies of all time. - 5/5 rating. -
Mark Kermode, Observer (UK)

The documentary of the decade. - London Evening Standard

Sonically flawless, authentically textured and deep-rooted in cultural significance, Summer Of Soul succeeds magnificently in capturing the scale, spiritual resonance and, yes, soul of the Harlem Cultural Festival. - Whelan Barzey, Empire Magazine

If Questlove was merely a very good curator... then Summer of Soul would be a worthwhile experience. The fact that he's both a very good curator and storyteller makes it something far greater. - Adam Kempenaar, Filmspotting

The documentary is a window into the Harlem Culture Festival and discussions of Black history, community and identity in the 60s. - Jamie Ludwig, Chicago Reader

One of the best things about Summer of Soul is its reminder that the joy of musical community is one of the great human experiences, a unifying truth in more ways than one. - Jack Hamilton, Slate