Virginia Film Festival

1960: a rambunctious time of lively jazz and imperialist governments. Musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach are crashing the UN Security Council, Belgium and US cannot get their hands off Congo’s resources, and Congo has only been independent from Belgium for six months. Louis Armstrong and other Black jazz musicians add to the mix; they are here to play, while simultaneously grappling with the treatment of African Americans at home.  Director Johan Grimonprez unveils the hypocrisy of Western powers as they push for control over Africa, juxtaposed with thrilling sequences of musical performances. Archival footage, audio memoirs, and political novels are edited together for a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, documentary. The film both raises and expands upon a culminating question: How will the world remember the year of 1960?