November 24, 2024
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
presented by ArsVitha & meakusma
The award-winning documentary “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” lays bare one of the darkest and most complex political intrigues of the 20th century. Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez takes the audience on a gripping journey into the Cold War era when music, art, and power were terrifyingly intertwined. The film combines archival footage, interviews with experts and survivors, and a powerful musical score to bring to light the harrowing truth behind the assassination of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. It shows how the Belgian monarchy, the United States government, and multinational corporations forged a perfidious alliance.
Deemed “remarkable” by The New York Times, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat illuminates the role of art and culture as a tool for political manipulation in a deeply moving and disturbing way. It is a powerful, overwhelming film about jazz and how, under the guise of cultural events and by instrumentalizing legendary jazz musicians, covert operations were carried out that ultimately led to Lumumba’s downfall and death. It received a special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation at the Sundance Film Festival.
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Writers: Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius
Length: 150 minutes
Country: Belgium, France, Netherlands