The Sound Unseen Film/Music/Art Festival (November 14-18) previewed this year’s 19^th edition of the film festival today with an announcement of 7 initial selections. Led by the Midwest premiere of Greg Carey and Wade Jackson’s WAITING: THE VAN DUREN STORY, the list includes the return of a Sound Unseen favorite and a handful of films that will be screening for Minneapolis audiences for the first time after seeing much success on the film festival circuit.

 

Sound Unseen Festival Director Jim Brunzell, said, “This first list of titles should definitely whet the appetite for the Sound Unseen faithful, and people tracking which films have been making noise on the film festival scene. They offer rich histories of two legendary music making labels, profiles of colorful, dynamic, and sometime mysterious personalities in the world of music, and of course – great music itself.”

 

One of the highlights at this year’s Sound Unseen, will be Carey and Jackson’s WAITING: THE VAN DUREN STORY, which attempts to solve the mystery of what happened to one of the more promising artists to emerge from Memphis in the 70s. The film’s subject, Van Duren, as well as co-director Jackson, and producer Jonathan Sequeria, will be in attendance. Another highlight will be a Special 10^th Anniversary presentation on Sacha Gervasi’s classic heavy metal documentary, ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL! (2008). The film follows the band as they return from their first European tour and get about the business of recording another record.

 

The other titles include films that won awards and been popular on the film festival circuit in the past year. Two films, Sophie Huber’s BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES, and Julia Nash’s INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT: THE STORY OF WAX TRAX! RECORDS look into the history and influence the two labels had in introducing generations to jazz, punk, new wave, experimental music, as well as some of the landmark artists that made that music. Haizlip and Pollard’s MR. SOUL!, which profiles Ellis Haizlip, the host of the influential public-television variety show, SOUL!, has won multiple awards at various film festivals. Meanwhile, Mark Maxey’s UP TO SNUFF, about musician and composer W.G. Snuffy Walden, and Mika Gustafson, Olivia Kasterbring and Christina Tsiobanelis’s SILVANA, which profiles the enigmatic Swedish rapper, could not have focused on more strikingly different people and personalities – and yet, both are equally fascinating and engaging.

For more information about Sound Unseen, as well as how to purchase passes, go to: http://www.soundunseen.com.

 

The 2018 Sound Unseen Film Festival initial selections:

Special 10^th Anniversary Screening

ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL!

Director: Sacha Gervasi

Country: Canada, Running Time: 80 min

Since 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal’s most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts.  In 2006, after a fledgling European tour, Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams.

 

BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES        MINNESOTA PREMIERE

Director: Sophie Huber

Countries: USA/Switzerland, Running Time: 85 min

One of the most important record labels in the history of jazz—and, by extension, that of American music—Blue Note Records has been home to such groundbreaking artists as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Art Blakey, and Eric Dolphy, as well as present-day luminaries like Ambrose Akinmusire and Norah Jones. Founded in New York in 1939 by German-Jewish refugees Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, Blue Note’s history goes beyond the records, encompassing the struggle of black artists to be heard, the conflict between art and commerce, and the idea of music as a revolutionary force.

 

INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT: THE STORY OF                  MINNESOTA PREMIERE

WAX TRAX! RECORDS

Director: Julia Nash

Countries: USA/Belgium/Canada/Germany, Running Time: 95 min

INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT: THE STORY OF WAX TRAX! RECORDS tells the story behind the independent record store and label. Tracing the bizarre journey of two music-obsessed men from the bible belt to Chicago, this film travels through the underground culture of music and art as these two men expose emerging music and artists to fans from around the world for the first time.

 

MR. SOUL! MINNESOTA PREMIERE

Directors: Melissa Haizlip, Samuel D. Pollard

Country: USA, Running Time: 115 min

Before Oprah, before Arsenio, there was Mr. SOUL. On the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, one fearless black pioneer reconceived a Harlem Renaissance for a new era, ushering giants and rising stars of black American culture onto the national television stage. He was hip. He was smart. He was innovative, political, and gay. In his personal fight for social equality, the man ensured the Revolution would be televised. He was Ellis Haizlip. The Revolution was SOUL.

 

SILVANA                                                                              MINNESOTA PREMIERE

Director: Mika Gustafson, Olivia Kasterbring, Christina Tsiobanelis

Country: Sweden, Running Time: 91 min

Swedish rapper Silvana Imam quickly rose to fame with her blunt, uncompromising rhymes. In the span of just a year, she became a superstar. The world of hip-hop has long been male-dominated, which means she has to work even harder. Not only is she female, but also a lesbian feminist. Her politically charged anthems about destroying the patriarchy brought a whole new audience to rap. Huge crowds of young women came with fists in the air to sing along to her lyrics. The media began labeling her a hero for women and the LGBTQ+ community. The praise was nice, but the pressure of being a role model was hard to handle. She was also tired of journalists focusing only on her gender and sexuality, rather than on her musical talents. Everything started to take a toll on her mental health. But the story doesn’t end there.

 

UP TO SNUFF                                                                      MINNESOTA PREMIERE

Director: Mark Maxey

Country: USA, Running Time: 80 min

Millions of people have been touched by his music, yet few know the journey, hardships and triumphs of American musician and composer W.G. Snuffy Walden. Friends and collaborators share personal stories, laughs and insights about this generous soul who overcame the excesses of rock and roll success to become one of the most beloved composers in television history. Infused with Snuffy’s music throughout, UP TO SNUFF includes scenes from The West Wing, Wonder Years, Sports Night and thirtysomething, and features Aaron Sorkin, Martin Sheen, Tom Arnold, Timothy Busfield, Fred Savage, Marshall Herskovitz, Steve Lukather, Eric Burdon, Snuffy Walden.

 

WAITING: THE VAN DUREN STORY                             MIDWEST PREMIERE

Directors: Greg Carey, Wade Jackson

Country: Australia, Running Time: 80 min

In the 1970’s, out of the Memphis-Big Star scene came Van Duren, who was tipped to be the next Paul McCartney but instead faded into obscurity. Forty years later, two Australian friends come across his record and set out to discover what went wrong.