Questlove to Make Directorial Debut with 'Black Woodstock'

The film centres on 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Dec 2, 2019

Questlove's forays into film and television have seen him produce, score and voice act, but the Roots drummer is now in the director's chair for forthcoming documentary Black Woodstock.

As Variety reports, Questlove will helm the forthcoming doc about 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival — a concert series in the neighbourhood's Mount Morris Park that featured performances by Stevie WonderNina SimoneB.B. KingSly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the 5th Dimension and more.

The forthcoming film includes 40 hours of never-before-seen festival footage shot by late filmmaker Hal Tulchin. Despite a combined attendance of over 300,000 people, the concert series received little mainstream media coverage.

"I am truly excited to help bring the passion, the story and the music of the Harlem Cultural Festival to audiences around the world," Questlove said in a statement. "The performances are extraordinary. I was stunned when I saw the lost footage for the first time. It's incredible to look at 50 years of history that's never been told, and I'm eager and humbled to tell that story."

Producers David Dinerstein and Robert Fyvolent added, "The music and performances in Black Woodstock will knock audiences out of their seats. The footage is unusually rich in texture and feel. We are so proud to be working alongside Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson on his directorial debut. We are confident he will bring an authenticity and unique vision to the film."

A release date for Black Woodstock has yet to be revealed. Questlove released his third book, Mixtape Potluck, this past October.

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