Soundtrack for a Revolution
Soundtrack for a Revolution tells the story of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s through its powerful music--the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality.
The film features new performances of the freedom songs by top contemporary artists, including John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean and The Roots; riveting archival footage; and interviews with civil rights foot soldiers and leaders, including Congressman John Lewis, Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond and Ambassador Andrew Young.
The freedom songs evolved from slave chants, from the labor movement, and especially from the black church. The music enabled blacks to sing words they could not say, and it was crucial in helping the protesters as they faced down brutal aggression with dignity and non-violence. The infectious energy of the songs swept people up and empowered them to fight for their rights.
Soundtrack for a Revolution celebrates the vitality of this music. The film is a vibrant blend of heart-wrenching interviews, dramatic images and thrilling contemporary performances--a work of significance, energy and power.
Trailer
Credits
Directors/Producers/Writers: Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman
Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Jim Czarnecki, Dylan Nelson
Executive Producers: Danny Glover, Jarrett Lilien, Gina Harrell, Mark E. Downie, Marc Henry Johnson
Cinematographers: Buddy Squires, Jon Else, Stephen Kazmierski
Editor: Jeffrey Doe
Composer: Philip Marshall
Total Running Time: 83 min.
Website: www.soundtrackforarevolutionfilm.com
About The Filmmakers
BILL GUTTENTAG is a two-time Oscar-winning documentary and feature film writer-producer-director. His films include Nanking, a documentary feature that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released in 2007 by THINKFilm. Nanking won awards at a number of US and international film festivals, was nominated for a Writers Guild award, and short-listed for an Oscar.
In 1988 Guttentag won an Oscar for the documentary You Don’t Have to Die, and earned three more Academy Award nominations over the next 15 years before winning a second Oscar in 2003 for Twin Towers. Other honors for Guttentag’s work include a Peabody Award, three Emmy Awards, two additional Emmy nominations and a Robert Kennedy Journalism Award.
Guttentag created and executive-produced (with Dick Wolf) the NBC series Crime and Punishment, which ran for three seasons. He has made films for HBO, ABC, CBS, TNT and others. Since 2001, Guttentag has been teaching a course at Stanford University.
Together with Bill Guttentag, DAN STURMAN wrote and directed the Sundance award-winning documentary film Nanking, and produced the Academy Award-winning documentary Twin Towers. Between 2001 and 2003, Sturman produced three seasons of the NBC documentary series Crime & Punishment. He has reported and produced for ABC News, CBS News and the BBC while based in Los Angeles; for Reuters and NBC News while based in London; and for ABC News 20/20 in New York.
In 1992, Sturman was the associate producer of another Academy Award-winning documentary, A Time for Justice. The film, produced and directed by Charles Guggenheim, commemorates the lives of the men, women and children who were killed during the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s. Sturman is currently in production on a feature-length documentary about child actors.
Awards
Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Plaque in Documentary Directing
Morelia International Film Festival: Audience Award for Best Premiered Feature
IDA/ABCNews VideoSource Award: Finalist
IDA Pare Lorentz Award: Finalist
IDA Music Documentary Award: Nominee
Vancouver International Film Festival: Rogers Peoples Choice Award
Producers Guild of America Award: Nominee
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay: Nominee
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature: Shortlist