‘Summer of Soul’, A Powerful Debut Film by Questlove Celebrating the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969

Summer of Soul is a powerful documentary that celebrates the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969. This festival, which occurred during the same summer as Woodstock, received far less attention and much of the footage in the film has not been made public until now.

Icons such as Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, BB King, Mahalia Jackson, and others all performed that year, during a tumultuous time in history.

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 never seen and 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.

Summer of Soul is the directorial debut of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.

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.

Summer of Soul will be released in theaters and on Hulu July 2, 2021.

Summer of Soul premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. It will stream on Hulu in conjunction with Disney’s new BIPOC Creator Initiative; Searchlight Pictures will release it theatrically.