Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat

In the organizer's words:

Johan Grimonprez, Belgium/F/NL, 2024, 150 min., DCP, OmU
With music by Nina Simone, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Ornette Coleman, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Miriam Makeba, Charles Mingus and others.

In the 1960s, many African countries fought for their independence from the European colonial powers. While the Soviet Union and other socialist countries supported decolonization, the USA and its Western allies were sceptical. They were primarily interested in the mineral resources over which they wanted to retain control. The USA tries an unconventional approach and sends jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and Nina Simone to African countries as advertising media in order to portray the West in a positive light, while at the same time figures such as Malcolm X and other jazz artists such as Max Roach show solidarity with the independence movement.
Masterfully edited exclusively from archive footage, director Johan Grimonprez impressively interweaves global power structures, anti-colonial struggles and a whole lot of jazz in this historical rollercoaster ride.