A documentary that wowed the Sundance Film Festival in January will have a chance to dazzle Minnesotans on opening night of the 40th annual Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival.
Musician Questlove's "Summer of Soul" won top prizes from both the jury and audience at Sundance before selling to Searchlight Pictures for a record $12 million. The music-packed film, which assembles footage that had been stowed away for decades to recapture a star-studded Harlem music festival in 1969, will hit theaters and Hulu in July.
But MSPIFF, which is May 13-23, gets it first. "Summer of Soul" will be shown virtually and at an outdoor screening near St. Paul's Como Lakeside Pavilion May 13.
You can find the MSPIFF schedule and ticket information online. Other highlights include a tribute to late Minnesota filmmaking legend Al Milgrom that will include a conversation with friend, Agnieszka Holland, as well as screenings of some of her films; "The Claw," a biographical portrait of Minnesota wrestling icon Baron von Raschke, coproduced by his son Karl; crowd-pleasing doc "Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It," and 150 other titles from around the world. This year's festival, like the one in 2020, will largely be a streaming event but includes several outdoor screenings.
Chris Hewitt • 612-673-4367
