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Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Dir. Johan Grimonprez
150 min

25th Sound Unseen Film Festival

Thursday, November 14 at 7:30pm

ABOUT THE FILM

This Sundance award winner explores a moment when jazz, colonialism, and espionage collided, constructing a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba.

United Nations, 1961: 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 the Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez explores a moment when jazz, colonialism, and espionage collided, constructing a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. The result is a revelatory documentary 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. Sundance award winner Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate.

PRESENTED BY SOUND UNSEEN

Celebrating 25 years in 2024, Sound Unseen is a cultural organization dedicated to the role of film and music as a conduit of powerful ideas and diverse viewpoints. Our mission is to foster a greater appreciation of cinema, to bridge cultures, create and expand community, provide cultural exchange, networking opportunities and educational outreach through regular interaction with great films, filmmakers, musicians and artists. .

Film Details

Programs: Images of Africa, Sound Unseen Film Festival
Release Year: 2024
Runtime: 150 min
Country/Region: Belgium
Language: English
Print Source: Kino Lorber
Tags: Documentary, Music

Cast/Crew

Director: Johan Grimonprez

Sponsor for Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sponsor for Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Showtimes

The Main 3

Thursday, November 14th