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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New Voices in an Old Flower
Quino Piñero IFFR 2017 69′Westerners generally view Ethiopia as the mythical land of Rastafarians. However, the contemporary music scene is much richer than that, as this sultry, nocturnal exploration of the capital Addis Abeba demonstrates. From reggae to hip-hop and from free jazz to electronic sampling: diversity rules.
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Cairo Jazzman
Atef Ben Bouzid IFFR 2017 82′Passionate Amr Salah is an Egyptian jazz composer and musician trying to organise the Cairo Jazz Festival; a risky undertaking, not only because of his limited experience, but mainly also due to the increasingly intolerant social climate. This political music documentary simultaneously paints an atmospheric portrait of the Egyptian capital.
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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.
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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.