The Scopitone programme (admission free) shows remarkable music documentaries in the Kleine Zaal of the Rotterdam Schouwburg. The fifth edition of this series of film will again be introduced by music connoisseur and film collector Fenno Werkman, and includes the documentaries Blackhearts (Norway, 2016) and Cairo Jazzman (Germany, 2017).
Films in ‘Scopitone’
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Two Trains Runnin'
Sam Pollard IFFR 2017 82′1964: young, white blues fans go in search of two legends they only know from 78 RPM records, Skip James and Son House. They end up in the eye of a racial storm that led to civil rights and new inspiration for folk singers. A painfully contemporary documentary story.
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War of Words
Craig Tuohy, Tom Worth IFFR 2017 63′Warning: explicit language! What started as an internet phenomenon is now in the streets, bars and even in major arenas: the noble art of verbal humiliation. Rap without brakes. The culture clash between the latest generation of American and British battle rappers is its entertaining highlight.
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Luanda – Kinshasa
Stan Douglas IFFR 2017 365′In a meticulous reconstruction of a famous New York studio session, musicians jam for hours non-stop. Inspired by Godard’s film portrait of The Rolling Stones recording their hit single Sympathy for the Devil, Stan Douglas evokes a 1973 Miles Davis recording session.
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Blackhearts
Fredrik Horn Akselsen, Christian Falch IFFR 2017 84′In Norway, the birthplace of black metal, the genre went from being vilified to a tourist attraction in a little over 25 years. This mildly ironic documentary follows three young metal acts as they make their pilgrimages to the North. However, the situations in their home countries of Greece, Columbia and Iran are what make their quest so special.