B.B. King, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew, and Nat King Cole are just some of the artists you'll "see" at this year's New Orleans Film Fest.
For the fourth year, the New Orleans Film Society presents “keeping {SCORE},” a series of music documentaries being screened during the 2014 New Orleans Film Festival. Focusing on groundbreaking and beloved musicians, these films explore music as both an art form as well as a means of bringing people together, serving as a tool for unification—and political protest.
Below are the seven films that are part of this year’s keeping{SCORE} series, with directors scheduled to attend select screenings.
keeping {SCORE}:
MUSIC FILMS AT THE NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL - October 16-23, 2014
B.B. King: Life of Riley: Battling unrelenting racism and the humiliation of segregation whilst working in the cotton fields as an orphaned child, B.B. King lived to overcome the toughest critics in the entertainment industry and ultimately be hailed as one of the kingpins of an entire genre of music. This candid biopic of the life story of one of our living legends is highlighted by rare archive footage and beautifully shot scenes of the deep American South. Click here for more info and showtimes.
The Big Beat: This documentary profiles the early years of Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew and how they turned New Orleans rhythm & blues into rock n’ roll, and how their music contributed to racial integration. Combing archival material and recent interviews with Dave, Fats, and with surviving band members, the film illustrates the story of these two men and the other musicians who made their band among the greatest in rock n’ roll history. Click here for more info and showtimes.
The Case of the Three Sided Dream: The story of multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk; who went from blind infant, to child prodigy, to adult visionary, to political activist, and finally to paralyzed showman. Rahsaan’s main occupation, as he put it, was simply “Sound.” But he also started a political movement, joined by others, with the goal of getting increased national exposure for jazz, or what he termed “Black Classical Music.” His main target was television. He led multiple disruptions of live television shows and forced the industry to take notice. The movement culminated when Rahsaan was invited to perform on the Ed Sullivan show. Rahsaan and Black Classical music had conquered America’s television airwaves. In 1975, at the apex of his career, Rahsaan suffered a serious stroke. The majority of his right side was paralyzed, including his right arm. But that didn’t stop him: within a few months he had his horns altered so that he could play with the use of only one hand. He continued to play, record and tour, literally until the day he died. Click here for more info and showtimes.
Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark: Imagine what it would feel like to be the only black television star in Hollywood at a time when America groaned under the weight of segregation and prejudice. Imagine being in possession of a natural talent so great, unique, and disarming that these issues were seemingly swept to one side to allow you to perform and be acknowledged for this gift, yet behind closed doors they were trying to think of a way to package you as something you were not: white. This candid account of the actual happenings in and around the “fairytale” life of fame and fortune of Nat King Cole are taken from his own private journals, as well as a series of exclusive interviews Nat’s widow Maria Cole and a host of family, contemporaries and friends. Click here for more info and showtimes.
I Lay Where I Fall: A self-taught guitar player, bass player, piano player, drummer, and singer, Juston Stens felt artistically limited as the drummer of Dr. Dog, so he walked away from the band. Now on his own, Juston travels America on a 1972 Triumph motorcycle with a laptop full of demos to collaborate with multiple artists on recording his songs in their personal spaces. Click here for more info and showtimes.
Jingle Bell Rocks!: From The Flaming Lips to The Free Design, Jingle Bell Rocks! is a trippy, cinematic sleigh-ride through the subculture of alternative Christmas music. Featuring hardcore collectors, legendary DJs and musicologists, record producers, and Christmas obsessives like cult film auteur John Waters, director Mitchell Kezin’s intimate and quixotic search for the soul of Christmas music, tells the stories behind twelve of the most profound Christmas songs ever recorded… many of whom you’ve likely never heard, until now. Click here for more info and showtimes.
The Possibilities Are Endless: Celebrated lyricist Edwyn Collins (could only say two phrases after waking up from a coma following a debilitating stroke: “Grace Maxwell” (the name of his wife) and “the possibilities are endless.” This is the incredible story of Collins, best known for his work with the band Orange Juice and his solo singer “A Girl Like You” (1994), who had the contents of his mind effectively deleted at the age of 46 after a cerebral hemorrhage. Click here for more info and showtimes.
For tickets, a complete listing of films, and more information, visit neworleansfilmfestival.org.
