Summer of Soul | American Utopia

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. The footage was never seen and largely forgotten – up until now. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

David Byrne’s theatrical concert American Utopia lit up Broadway in 2019, bringing to the stage Byrne’s trademark mix of rhythm and ideas, a vibrant cast, and altogether joyous experience. Famed director Spike Lee documented the former Talking Head's frontman's show to present one of the cultural pinnacles of the past two years. With a sleek and elegant design, Lee's cameras manage to capture all the mischief that Byrne and his friends bring to the stage: a combination of crisp technology and wild movement. Words fail to describe the physical pleasure watching this film brings to the senses. With some of Byrne's most recognized songs, heartfelt diagnoses about the human condition, and continuous entertainment, American Utopia is " a life-affirming, euphoria-producing, soul-energizing sing-along protest film that’s asking us to rise up against our own complacency" (IndieWire).