The fascinating new documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything arrives in cinemas this month and to celebrate we’ve created a list of the best music documentaries to watch that’ll be sure to get you in the Rock ‘n’ Roll spirit!
Weaving together archive footage and interviews Little Richard: I Am Everything uncovers the origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll through its trailblazing pioneer and originator Little Richard. Watch the trailer and click the button below to book preview screenings from 21 April. In cinemas 28 April.
1. SUMMER OF SOUL (2021)
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten–until now. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present.
Source: Searchlight Pictures
2. MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. (2018)
Drawn from a cache of personal video recordings from the past 22 years, director Steve Loveridge’s Sundance award-winning MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. is a startlingly personal profile of the critically acclaimed artist, chronicling her remarkable journey from refugee immigrant to pop star.
3. amazing grace (2018)
In 1972, Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, recorded an album of gospel music at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, before an ecstatic live audience. The result, "Amazing Grace", went on to become one of the biggest albums of Aretha Franklin's career and one of her most beloved works. But even as the album gained fans around the world, few realised that the inspirational sessions had not only been recorded, they had been filmed by a camera crew led by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sydney Pollack. However, due to technical problems, the film has never been seen. Until now.
Source: Studio Canal.
4. gimme danger
Emerging from Ann Arbor Michigan amidst a countercultural revolution, The Stooges powerful and aggressive style of rock-n-roll blew a crater in the musical landscape of the late 1960s. Assaulting audiences with a blend of rock, blues, R and B, and free jazz, the band planted the seeds for what would be called punk and alternative rock in the decades that followed. Jim Jarmusch’s new film GIMME DANGER chronicles the story of The Stooges, one of the greatest rock-n-roll bands of all time.
5. MOONAGE DAYDREAM (2022)
Told through sublime, kaleidoscopic, never-before-seen footage, performances and music, Brett Morgen’s (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Cobain: Montage of Heck, Jane) feature length experiential cinematic odyssey explores David Bowie’s creative, musical and spiritual journey. The film is guided by David Bowie’s own narration and is the first officially sanctioned film on the artist.
Source: Moonage Daydream Official Website.
6. WHITNEY: CAN I BE ME (2017)
From acclaimed directors Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal comes a new film about one of the greatest singers of all time. Whitney Houston was the epitome of a superstar, an “American Princess,” the most awarded female artist ever. Even though Whitney had made millions of dollars, had more consecutive number ones than The Beatles, and became recognized as having one of the greatest voices of all time, she still wasn’t free to be herself and died from a drug overdose. She was only 48 years old. Made with largely never-before-seen footage and exclusive recordings, WHITNEY: CAN I BE ME tells Whitney Houston’s incredible and poignant life story with insights from those closest to her.