Questlove To Make His Directorial Debut With ‘Black Woodstock’ Documentary

Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot for Okayplayer

The documentary is about the Harlem Cultural Festival that took place in 1969.

Questlove is set to make his directorial debut with a documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

READ: “The Literal Soundtrack Of My Life”: Questlove Shares Best 100 Albums Playlist

Titled Black Woodstock, the documentary “will include 40 hours of never-seen-before footage originally shot by late television pioneer Hal Tulchin,” according to Variety. The report also notes that the footage has remained in storage for half a century.

The Harlem Cultural Festival was an outdoor event at Mount Morris Park that featured performances from Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, B.B. King, the 5th Dimension, David Ruffin, Mahalia Jackson, the Staple Singers, and Gladys Knight and the Pips. It occurred during the same summer that Woodstock did, and drew over 300,000 people. The title of the documentary is derived from the term that Harlem residents used to describe the festival.

“I am truly excited to help bring the passion, the story and the music of the Harlem Cultural Festival to audiences around the world,” Quest said in a statement. “The performances are extraordinary. I was stunned when I saw the lost footage for the first time. It’s incredible to look at 50 years of history that’s never been told, and I’m eager and humbled to tell that story.”

In related news, Questlove recently released a new book titled Mixtape Potluck. The book imagines “the ultimate potluck dinner party,” and features guests Black Thought, Q-Tip, Jarobi White, Yvonne Orji, Maya Rudolph, and more.

Source: Variety

Elijah C. Watson

Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When he's not writing he's listening to Sade and crying or watching My Hero Academia with his partner.