Director:
Joe Berlinger
Run Time: 101 minutes
Country: USA, SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 2012
Joe Berlinger
Run Time: 101 minutes
Country: USA, SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 2012
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Under African Skies
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Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland is a Grammy-Award winning masterpiece ranking high on a number of lists designating the greatest albums ever made. Paul Simon defines Graceland as his “most significant achievement of all time.” Though many would agree, few know that Graceland also carries with it the title of one of the most notoriously controversial musical endeavors in history. Created in the music halls and studios of Johannesburg, South Africa, the album manifested at a time when apartheid was still a very absolute and dangerous reality. For those honoring the UN cultural boycott of South Africa, a privileged white Westerner’s presence was unwelcome and a slap in the face to those risking their lives for liberation. But when politics and art mix, the outcome is always a complicated one, posing the question of what’s more important—the fight for emancipation or the freedom of musical expression? Travel with Paul back to South Africa for the 25th Anniversary of Graceland in UNDER AFRICAN SKIES, an eye-opening documentary that brings him face to face with both his adversaries and the musical collaborators he’s since proudly called his close friends. – M.M.
This film is presented with the generous support of DONNA and STEWART KOHL.
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| Sidebars | Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Film Competition, Pan-African Images, Music! Movies! |
| Producer | Joe Berlinger, Jon Kamen, Justin Wilkes |
| Cinematography | Robert Richman |
| Editing | Joshua L. Pearson |
| Principal Cast | Paul Simon, Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dali Tambo, Ray Phiri, Joseph Shabalala |
| Director Bio | Joe Berlinger is an American documentary filmmaker, journalist, and photographer whose frequent collaboration with fellow director Bruce Sinofsky has resulted in an abundance of awards and recognition, including an Oscar® nomination for the final film of his “Paradise Lost” trilogy. His articles and photographs have appeared in such acclaimed publications as The New York Times and his long career as a television producer and director has won him a number of Emmys. |
| Select Filmography | “Brother’s Keeper” (1992) - 16th CIFF, “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” (1996), “Paradise Lost 2: Revelations” (2000), “One Who Day” (2002), “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster” (2004), “Crude” (2009) - 34th CIFF, “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” (2011), UNDER AFRICAN SKIES (2012) |
| Print Source |
@radical.media Paolina Poe-Azcarraga azcarraga@radicalmedia.com |
Past Screenings
* Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 7:15 PMSaturday, March 31, 2012 at 1:15 PM
- with FilmForum
Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 7:15 PM
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