Salem Film Fest 2023

DUSTY & STONES & Filmmaker Q&A - Director Jesse Rudoy

Expired April 3, 2023 3:59 AM
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Sponsored by The Hotel Salem, Murray Masonry and More & Tiki Hut Boats.



Gazi “Dusty” Simelane and Linda “Stones” are two struggling country music singers from the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland. The first time the cousins discovered Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and other country greats on Voice of America radio as teenagers, they were hooked, and started making similar music of their own.


Already legends in their remote home town, they find a warm welcome in the American south when invited to the Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards. They journey to Texas, determined to win big at a local battle of the bands and turn their careers around. DUSTY & STONES captures their wondrous ten-day road trip through the American south, gifting us with great music and leaving us questioning the intersectional issues of race, power, and whether any demographic can lay claim to country music, or any other art form.

  • Year
    2022
  • Runtime
    84 minutes
  • Language
    English, Swati
  • Country
    United States, Swaziland
  • Director
    Jesse Rudoy
  • Producer
    Melissa O. Adeyemo
  • Executive Producer
    Sam Bisbee, Cody Ryder
  • Cinematographer
    Michael Koshkin, Benitha Vlok, Adam Abada, Tito Balata, Sean Anthony Eddy
  • Editor
    Jesse Rudoy, Loulwa Khoury