About the Campaign
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.
Impact Goal
Extend the reach of Searchlight Pictures' outdoor concert event planned for Juneteenth and the wide release of the film on July 2 by partnering with local organizations and activists to screen the film for their communities. Above all, we wanted to honor the Harlem Cultural Festival’s sound of freedom by creating community screening events that spark joy.
STRATEGY
1
Utilize a combination of the Picture Motion host network and new research to engage and equip communities to host their own screening of the film, including community arts programs, racial justice organizations and Black Film/TV collectives.
2
Develop a built-in virtual screening process for screening hosts to use Disney’s virtual platform for their screenings.
3
Create a multifaceted discussion guide for screening hosts to dive deeper into the themes and issues addressed in the film by posing questions to the audience and providing calls to action.
RESULTS
3,000+
attendees through in- person and virtual screenings
26
screenings across several film-centric impact spaces
3000+
attendees across 18 virtual screenings and 8 in person screenings
98%
of surveyed audience members learned something new about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival and the cultural and sociopolitical upheaval happening at that time, through Summer of Soul
Play Video
