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Available October 7, 2024 2:00 AM UTC
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United Nations, 1961: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez explores a moment when jazz, colonialism, and espionage collided, constructing a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. The result is a revelatory documentary richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons. Sundance award winner Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate.

  • Year
    2024
  • Runtime
    150 minutes
  • Language
    Dutch, French, Russian, English
  • Country
    Belgium
  • Director
    Johan Grimonprez
  • Screenwriter
    Johan Grimonprez
  • Producer
    Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius, Sara Skrodzka (archival producer)
  • Co-Producer
    Katja Draaijer, Frank Hoeve
  • Editor
    Rik Chaubet