Sound is a journey. Each note opens a door, closes another. Instruments chart the course. Through a poetic and immersive lens, Sou Jazz shines a light on musicians from the Paraisópolis community, reaffirming the social and transformative power of art. The film invites viewers into a reflective, sensory exploration of the relationship between jazz and life on the margins.
"What would the world be like without Beethoven?" That’s the provocative question posed by this music documentary from Deutsche Welle. To answer it, the film explores how Ludwig van Beethoven's innovations continue to have an impact far beyond the boundaries of classical music, 250 years after his birth.
A World Without Beethoven?
2020
7
A documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs.
Dig!
2004
6
A documentary film about the Afro-American Woodstock concert held in Los Angeles seven years after the Watts riots. Director Mel Stuart mixes footage from the concert with footage of the living conditions in the current-day Watts neighborhood.
Wattstax
1973
7
A documentary film that highlights two street derived dance styles, Clowning and Krumping, that came out of the low income neighborhoods of L.A.. Director David LaChapelle interviews each dance crew about how their unique dances evolved. A new and positive activity away from the drugs, guns, and gangs that ruled their neighborhood. A raw film about a growing sub-culture movements in America.
Rize
2005
6
15 years after they first took the world by storm, a new musical about the girls called Viva Forever! is about to hit the West End. The programme looks at the creative process behind the show that is produced by Judy Craymer and written by Jennifer Saunders in collaboration with the Spice Girls themselves.
The Spice Girls Story: Viva Forever!
2012
8
Podium
2007
0
From the rains of Japan, through threats of arrest for 'public indecency' in Canada, and a birthday tribute to her father in Detroit, this documentary follows Madonna on her 1990 'Blond Ambition' concert tour. Filmed in black and white, with the concert pieces in glittering MTV color, it is an intimate look at the work of the icon, from a prayer circle before each performance to bed games with the dance troupe afterwards.
Madonna: Truth or Dare
1991
6
A biographical film featuring the music and times of Bill Evans with interviews from Tony Bennett, Jack Dejohnette, Billy Taylor, Paul Motian, Jon Hendricks, Orin Keepnews, Bobby Brookmeyer, Pat Evans and more, including family and friends who knew Bill Evans well.
Bill Evans Time Remembered
2015
6
Combining footage unseen since WWI with original scores from the era, this film tells the story of Noble Sissle's incredible journey that spans "The Harlem Hellfighters" of World War I, Broadway Theatre, the Civil Rights movement, and decades of Black cultural development.
Noble Sissle's Syncopated Ragtime
2018
0
Coffee Masters is a documentary by Miguel Kohan, produced by Lita Stantic, Gustavo Santaolalla and Walter Salles. It tells the story of great tango of the old guard who, summoned by a rock musician, proposing a record to demonstrate its validity. This adventure, full of memories, humor and poignant moments, culminating with a presentation of the Masters at the Teatro Colon.
Café de los maestros
2008
7
Pop king Michael Jackson solidifies his title with this release of fifteen past number one hits. Songs include "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Thriller," "Black or White," and "Blood on the Dancefloor."
Michael Jackson: Number Ones
2003
7
Part concert footage, part fly-on-the-wall video documentary of the ups and downs of a road tour, Lamb of God: Killadelphia could easily entertain the most stubborn of metal haters with its lively peek at the band at work and play between shows. Whether dealing with rental truck breakdowns, show delays, radio interviews, in-store appearances, late arrivals of equipment, or dazzled fans, the members of Lamb of God and their handful of assistants keep their cool with fluent wit, easygoing camaraderie, and unabashed romanticism (meeting up with band members' spouses is one of the highlights of Killadelphia). Meanwhile, Lamb of God's grinding, apocalyptic wall of sound, especially singer Randy Blythe's croaking, monster vocals, whip a Philadelphia crowd into a hellbound fury. Special features include three music videos, including an uncensored "Now You've Got Something to Die For."
Lamb Of God: Killadelphia
2005
7
An overview of the early years--late 1970s, early 1980s--of San Francisco punk band Dead Kennedys, with clips from some of their live concerts and footage of landmark San Francisco locations of the punk music scene. Jello Biafra and The Dead Kennedys show why they're the kings of satire in 9 live early performances.
Dead Kennedys: The Early Years Live
1987
5
The band Fugazi is documented over a period of more than ten years (1987-1998) through performance footage and interviews with the band and their fans. Director Jem Cohen's relationship with band member Ian MacKaye extends back to the 1970s when the two met in high school in Washington, D.C.. The film takes its title from the Fugazi song of the same name, from their 1993 album, In on the Kill Taker. Editing of the film was done by both Cohen and the members of the band over the course of five years. It was shot from 1987 through 1998 on super 8, 16mm and video and is composed mainly of footage of concerts, interviews with the band members, practices, tours and time spent in the studio recording their 1995 album, Red Medicine. The film also includes portraits of fans as well as interviews with them at various Fugazi shows around the United States throughout the years.
Instrument
1999
6
Documents the true story of the final weeks of rehearsal for the Young at Heart Chorus in Northampton, MA, and many of whom must overcome health adversities to participate. Their music goes against the stereotype of their age group. Although they have toured Europe and sang for royalty, this account focuses on preparing new songs for a concert in their hometown.
Young At Heart
2008
7
Black and white footage of performances, interviews, and conversations at the Newport Folk Festival, from 1963 to 1966. The headliners are Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan, who's acoustic and electric. Son House and Mike Bloomfield talk about the blues; John Hurt, Howlin' Wolf, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee show its range. The Osborne Brothers perform bluegrass. Donovan, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Mimi and Dick Farina, and others less well known also perform. Several talk musical philosophy, and there's a running commentary about the nature and appeal of folk music. The crowd looks clean cut.
Festival
1967
5
Atmospheric soundtrack follows this compilation of nature footage that focuses on the ocean and various life forms that live, mate and die in it.
Atlantis
1991
6
Tenor saxophone master Sonny Rollins has long been hailed as one of the most important artists in jazz history, and still, today, he is viewed as the greatest living jazz improviser. In 1986, filmmaker Robert Mugge produced Saxophone Colossus, a feature-length portrait of Rollins, named after one of his most celebrated albums.
Saxophone Colossus
1998
8
A series of musical performances showcasing the diverse facets of fado, a musical genre from Lisbon.
Fados
2007
7
50 years after the release of the Pet Sounds album with the Beach Boys, this is Brian Wilson at la Baloise Session.
Brian Wilson à la Baloise Session
2016
8