Summer 1964. Two trios of young, white men independently set out for the Mississippi to find blues legends Skip James and Son House. In this reconstruction of their search, the now much older participants tell their story. Their quest took place at a time of the bloody repression of the introduction of voting rights for African Americans in the USA’s Deep South.
The film reveals music’s important role in bridging cultural divides and accelerating social change. The interviews are augmented by testimonials from other musicians and activists (both contemporary and historic) as well as sometimes shocking archive footage and – naturally – lots of music. Two Trains Runnin’ reminds us how fragile, hard-won and once again under threat the freedoms we think so self-evident are.
Free admission.
Film details
- Country of production
- USA
- Year
- 2016
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2017
- Length
- 82'
- Medium/Format
- File
