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Stereogum DECEMBER 6, 2023 - by James Rettig
BRIAN ENO, LUTHER VANDROSS, DEVO & LOLLAPALOOZA DOCUMENTARIES TO PREMIERE AT SUNDANCE 2024
The full lineup for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival has been revealed, and there a few music documentaries set to premiere at the event. As Entertainment Weekly reports, docs about Brian Eno, Luther Vandross, Devo, and Lollapalooza will debut at the fest, which takes place in Park City, Utah next month.
Also music-related: As We Speak, which is about rap lyrics being used in the criminal justice system, and Soundtrack To A Coup d'Etat, which is about jazz musicians involved in 1960s world politics.
Here are the official descriptions for the documentaries premiering at Sundance:
Eno / U.S.A., U.K. (Director: Gary Hustwit) - Visionary musician and artist Brian Eno - known for producing David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, among many others; pioneering the genre of ambient music; and releasing over forty solo and collaboration albums - reveals his creative processes in this groundbreaking generative documentary: a film that's different every time it's shown.
Luther: Never Too Much / U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter, Producers: Trish D Chetty, Ged Doherty, Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Leah Smith) - Luther Vandross started his career supporting David Bowie, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, and more. His undeniable talent earned platinum records and accolades, but he struggled to break out beyond the R&B charts. Intensely driven, he overcame personal and professional challenges to secure his place amongst the greatest vocalists in history.
Devo / U.K., U.S.A. (Director: Chris Smith, Producers: Chris Holmes, Anita Greenspan, Danny Gabai) - Born in response to the Kent State massacre, new wave band Devo took their concept of "de-evolution" from cult following to near-rock star status with groundbreaking 1980 hit Whip It while preaching an urgent social commentary.
Lolla: The Story Of Lollapalooza / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Michael John Warren, Producers: James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte, Brian Levy, Mat Whittington, Daniel Gibbs) - In the summer of '91, the Lollapalooza music festival was born. What started as a farewell tour for the band Jane's Addiction rose from the underground to launch a cultural movement and change music forever. Three-part limited series, screening parts one and two.
As We Speak / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: J.M. Harper, Producers: Sam Widdoes, Peter Cambor, Sam Bisbee) - Bronx rap artist Kemba explores the growing weaponization of rap lyrics in the United States criminal justice system and abroad - revealing how law enforcement has quietly used artistic creation as evidence in criminal cases for decades.
Soundtrack To A Coup d'Etat / Belgium, France, Netherlands (Director and Screenwriter: Johan Grimonprez, Producers: Daan Milius, Rémi Grellety) - In 1960, United Nations: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe denouncing America's color bar, while the U.S. dispatches jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the Congo to deflect attention from its first African post-colonial coup.
Also premiering at Sundance next year is I Saw The TV Glow, the Jane Schoenbrun-directed horror film that will include appearances from Phoebe Bridgers, Snail Mail's Lindsay Jordan, and Fred Durst.
Sundance Film Festival 2024 will take place from January 18 to 28.
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