A huge annual summer festival of American soul music in a hillside town in Italy—who knew?! Decades ago, a teenaged Graziano Uliani heard the music of Otis Redding and was so captivated that he wanted to pay tribute. Uliani organized the Porretta Soul Festival, which has been going strong for 30 years. Attended by thousands from all over Europe, it is the largest such event on the continent. A Soul Journey presents exciting scenes from earlier Soul Festival performances by legendary greats Rufus Thomas, Solomon Burke, and Sam Moore and more recent ones by Otis Clay and the bawdy Sugar Pie DeSanto. A few of the veteran artists note that although soul is now less popular in the United States than in the genre’s heyday, they are delighted to still be celebrated in Porretta. Treat yourself to a deliciously entertaining time as the dynamic performers sing their hearts out.—Cornelius Moore
- Year2019
- Runtime75 min
- LanguageEnglish, Italian
- CountryItaly/UK
- PremiereWashington, DC Premiere
- DirectorMarco Della Fonte
A huge annual summer festival of American soul music in a hillside town in Italy—who knew?! Decades ago, a teenaged Graziano Uliani heard the music of Otis Redding and was so captivated that he wanted to pay tribute. Uliani organized the Porretta Soul Festival, which has been going strong for 30 years. Attended by thousands from all over Europe, it is the largest such event on the continent. A Soul Journey presents exciting scenes from earlier Soul Festival performances by legendary greats Rufus Thomas, Solomon Burke, and Sam Moore and more recent ones by Otis Clay and the bawdy Sugar Pie DeSanto. A few of the veteran artists note that although soul is now less popular in the United States than in the genre’s heyday, they are delighted to still be celebrated in Porretta. Treat yourself to a deliciously entertaining time as the dynamic performers sing their hearts out.—Cornelius Moore
- Year2019
- Runtime75 min
- LanguageEnglish, Italian
- CountryItaly/UK
- PremiereWashington, DC Premiere
- DirectorMarco Della Fonte