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Soundtrack to a coup d'etat / written and directed by Johan Grimonprez ; produced by Daan Milus and Rémi Grellety ; a Onomatopee Films and Warboys Films production ; in coproduction with Zap-O-Matik, Baldr Film, ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, RTBF Télévision Belge and VRT ; with the support of Arte France, Field of Vision, Creative Europe Program of the European Union, The Flanders Audiovisual Fund [VAF] of the Government of Flanders, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération wallonie-Bruxelles Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, Netherlands Film Fund, The Tax Shelter Measure of the Belgian Federal Government ; Image/Movement du Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Cinematek Royal Film Archive of Belgium, Africamuseum, Kask and Conservatorium, Belgium Partner in Development, Procirep, Angoa and Sacem.
- Format:
- Video
- Language:
- Dutch
- English
- French
- Russian
- Subjects (All):
- Geopolitics--Developing countries--History--20th century.
- Geopolitics.
- United Nations. Security Council.
- United Nations.
- Jazz musicians--Political activity--United States.
- Jazz musicians.
- Lumumba, Patrice, 1925-1961--Assassination.
- Lumumba, Patrice.
- Congo (Democratic Republic)--History--1908-1960.
- Congo (Democratic Republic).
- Belgium--Colonies--Africa--Administration.
- Belgium.
- Cold War.
- United States--Foreign relations--Soviet Union.
- United States.
- Soviet Union--Foreign relations--United States.
- Soviet Union.
- Genre:
- Documentary films.
- Nonfiction films.
- Feature films.
- Video recordings for hard of hearing people.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (1 video file (150 minutes)) : sound, color and black and white
- Place of Publication:
- New York, NY : Kino Lorber, [2025]
- Language Note:
- English, French, Dutch, and Russian dialogue with English subtitles.
- System Details:
- digital
- Summary:
- United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo's leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today's geopolitical climate.
- Participant:
- Louis Armstrong, Andrée Blouin, In Koli Jean Bofane, Conor Cruise O'Brien, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, John Coltrane ; narrated by Zap Mama/Marie Daulne, Patrick Cruise O'Brien.
- Notes:
- Description based on online resource; title from title screen (viewed on January 24, 2025).
- Originally released as a documentary film in 2024.
- Sundance Film Festival, Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation, 2024
- Contains:
- Container of: Soundtrack to a coup d'etat (Motion picture)
- OCLC:
- 1488227767
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license.
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