Stockholm Film Festival

A remarkable gateway to the past, "Soul Power" looks back on the legendary three- day Zaire 74 Music Festival, held to accompany the 1974 Muhammad Ali-George Foreman fight. "When We Were Kings" editor Jeffrey Levy-Hinte lets the music narrate, offering both backstage and center-stage views, getting up close and personal with the all-star lineup including James Brown, Celia Cruz and The Spinners.

With distinct, rhythmic cuts, showing never-before-seen footage, the camera rushes between contractors´ meetings and rehearsals to Ali's sparring sessions with the musicians, leaving little time for the viewer to get bored.

Addressing the subjects of racism and prejudice, the Zaire 74 Music Festival was more than a party. As it gathered artists from all over Africa and the United States, the festival offered a free zone where important questions could and would be raised, and where the celebration of hope was both joyful and loud. "Soul Power" is the best musical event you never saw, 35 years later.
KARIN ANDERSSON

Cast

Bb King, Celia Cruz, James Brown, Miriam Makeba, Mohammad Ali

Producer

David Soneneberg, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Leon Gast

Cinematography

Paul Goldsmith, Kevin Keating, Albert Maysles, Roderick Young

Music

Miriam Makeba, James Brown, BB King, Noah Warner

Spoken language

English, French

Subtitle

English

 

Other films from the Documania section

See all the festival films from 2009