Ahmir « Questlove » Thompson directed the documentary « Summer of Soul, » which premiered at Sundance on Thursday. In a post-screening Q&A, he described the « three goosebump moments » that stood out in the film.
LOS ANGELES, Jan.30 (UPI) — Ahmir « Questlove » Thompson made his directorial debut with the documentary Summer of Soul (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Questlove compiled long lost footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a music festival from June 29 to Aug.24 in New York City that nevertheless was overshadowed by Woodstock the same summer. « I knew there were three goosebump moments I was looking for, » Questlove said in a Zoom Q&A following the premiere of Summer of Soul Thursday. Three performances Questlove designated as « goosebump moments » included Stevie Wonder performing a drum solo, Nina Simone singing and Mahalia Jackson performing a duet with Mavis Staples. « For me, it was just an instant gift, Stevie Wonder doing a drum solo, » Questlove said. « I wanted something that just smacked you in the first five minutes. » Questlove said he structured Summer of Soul the same way he designs a Roots show or DJ set. Those three « goosebump moments » provide a beginning, middle and end. As a first time film director, Questlove wanted the film to reflect his musical style, too. He and editor Joshua L. Pearson worked with 45 hours of footage from four different camera angles that had been sitting in storage since 1969.
