As the COVID-19 pandemic marches on, we all continue to search for ways to meaningfully occupy our time and keep entertained. While nothing can replace or recreate the magic of live music and in-person performances, here is a list of beautiful films about and involving music that can help you pass the time.
This list from CBC is a great place to start – it includes 20 music films, spanning from biopics to documentaries to musicals. The list includes some of our favourites – the Oscar-nominated What Happened, Miss Simone and The Last Waltz – alongside many we haven’t seen. It’s worth a read!
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool is a must-watch for any jazz enthusiast. Even if you’re already a Miles expert, the film is full of unseen footage and in-depth interview that offer context and insight into the life of the legend. We screened it in partnership with DOXA at our 2019 festival, and it’s available on Netflix now.
The music world lost a giant last month with the passing of Bill Withers, a man whose narrow but impactful songbook is an American cultural treasure. Still Bill is an intimate portrait of a reclusive and deeply private artist, who retired from music early in his life and quietly lived out his time as a family man. Luckily, the entire film is available on YouTube for free:
While most music films focus on a movement or individual artist, 20 Feet From Stardom focuses on the people standing just behind the spotlight. The film focuses on the lives and careers of back up singers – some of the most overlooked & essential performers in contemporary music history. (Fun fact: we presented Lisa Fischer, one of the singers featured prominently in the film, at the Vogue in 2015). It isn’t available on any streaming platforms, but can be rented through most rental platforms, and is absolutely worth it:
We get a lot of questions when we program hip hop artists at the festival, because many people don’t fully understand the ties between hip hop and jazz. The Netflix series Hip Hop Evolution talks to MCs, DJs, and impresarios from the 70s to the now, and helps put the relationship between the two genres into context.
And, just for kicks, we’ll include an almost-unbelievable film about every festival presenter’s nightmare: Fyre Festival. FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is an in-depth examination of the infamous trash fire/fraud that swept a nation, and it’s almost dramatic enough to make you forget there’s a pandemic.
