United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo's leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today's geopolitical climate.Reviews

GENRE: Documentary
MPAA RATING: No Rating
RUN TIME: 2h 30m
RELEASE DATE: November 01, 2024
STARRING:
DIRECTOR(S): Johan Grimonprez
PRODUCER(S): Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius
WRITER(S): Johan Grimonprez, Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi
STUDIO: Kino Lorber Films