Finding Fela will begin its national theatrical run on August 1, with an exclusive Manhattan engagement at IFC Center; the film is also scheduled to open in DC on August 8 (at Landmark’s E Street Cinema), as well as in Boston (at Landmark’s Kendall Square) and Atlanta (Landmark’s Midtown) on August 15.
In addition, Kino Lorber will book Finding Fela in more than 75 additional markets where Fela!, The Musical sold over 1,000,000 tickets nationwide. A digital, VOD and home media release will follow.
The film will also screen at the famous Bonnaroo music festival (www.bonnaroo.com) on Friday, June 13, where Fela’s son, acclaimed musician Seun Kuti, will appear for a special Q&A and perform before the screening.
Finding Fela tells the story of Fela Kuti’s life (1938 – 1997), his music, and his social and political importance. This in-depth look at the man who created Afrobeat (a fusion of Jazz, traditional West African rhythms, Funk, Highlife, and psychedelic rock) brings audiences close to Mr. Kuti’s fight against the dictatorial Nigerian government of the 1970s and 1980s. With his audacious music and a great deal of courage, Kuti helped bring a change towards democracy in Nigeria, promoted Pan Africanist politics to the entire world and became an inspiration in the global fight for the rights of all oppressed people.
As a committed critic of the legacies of European cultural imperialism, Mr. Kuti became a major political force in Nigerian and African politics – even becoming a Presidential candidate (twice) in the 1980s. His socialist political views and truly subversive life style also lead to a criminal, government-sanctioned attack on his commune in 1977, which lead to his arrest and the death of his 82-year-old mother. Mr. Kuti was eventually released, but his mother’s death shaped the rest of his life.
Taking audiences through a multi-threaded journey into the power of art to affect political and personal change, Finding Fela also reveals the creative process behind the Broadway musical Fela!, directed and co-conceived by acclaimed choreographer Bill. T. Jones.
“I’m very proud of Finding Fela and am delighted that the film will have a robust theatrical release in North America, so that audiences can experience the story and the power of this extraordinary performer and fighter for social justice,” said director Alex Gibney. “As Fela has said, in fighting for a better possibility, ‘music is the weapon.’”
“Finding Fela is not only the definitive documentary on music legend Fela Kuti, but also the most in-depth and comprehensive film about how Mr. Kuti influenced music, politics and art worldwide – and how we’re still coming to terms with his larger-than-life legacy,” said Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lober.
Finding Fela also features never-before-seen footage of his major concerts and even of Fela’s funeral. Exclusive talking-head interviews include Femi Kuti (Fela’s eldest son), Yeni Kuti (Fela’s first child), Seun Kuti (Fela’s youngest son), Sandra Izsadore (former Black Panther party member), as well as musicians Questlove and Paul McCartney.
Sundance Review: Fela Kuti’s Wild Life of Sex, Drugs, and Afrobeat Takes Center Stage in ‘Finding Fela’
“Finding Fela”
“Finding Fela,” prolific documentarian Alex Gibney’s latest work, faces the challenge of depicting a contradictory artist. But that’s not to say it isn’t entertaining. On the contrary, the film — about the life, times and music of Afrobeat superstar and Nigerian revolutionary Fela Kuti — is exceptionally watchable. Kuti’s wild life never loses its surprise ingredients: from the time he married 27 girls in one ceremony to his involvement with a “spiritual guru” who slit throats for party demonstrations. The film’s challenge lays in its difficult hero, an enormously talented and charismatic man who was also troubled, stubborn, unpredictable, and probably not entirely sane.
“Finding Fela” provides a comprehensive look at Kuti’s life. The numerous interview subjects include his bandmates, children, friends, scholars and famous fans, all of whom have fascinating stories and insight to share, and the carefully chosen footage of Kuti himself — onstage or off, always wielding a more enormous joint and wearing a more lurid jumpsuit — makes obvious what a magnetic presence he had, and how he was able to attract such a following.
The documentary doesn’t merely examine the musician himself, however, but also the cast and crew of the 2009 Broadway musical “Fela!,” which was based on the events of Kuti’s life, in both development and performance. This inclusion adds an interesting new angle to the more straightforward documentary approach that characterizes the rest of “Finding Fela,” partly because it supplements the film’s narrative with stage-musical interpretations of many episodes in Kuti’s life, but also in large part because the makers of the musical, in figuring out how to portray this historical figure, struggle with the same questions about Kuti as the viewers of the documentary. As stage director Bill T. Jones says about getting to the heart of his enigmatic protagonist, “The mystery is the madness. What is compelling to me is the madness in him.”
On that note, Kuti was, like so many other geniuses before him, a little bit crazy: Stories of his exploits include polygamy and a stint as an exhibitionist spiritual guru. Famous for using “music as a weapon,” Kuti’s revolutionary politics as expressed through his music can be clear and meaningful. At the same time, the documentary states that he “didn’t have a clear political ideology worked out…he was instinctive.”
However problematic his politics, religion or personal life were, Kuti’s musical talents were undeniable, and provide the heartbeat of “Finding Fela,” leaving you wishing for more (the 120 minute running time was reportedly cut down from over three hours).
The documentary’s title suggests that Fela has somehow been lost to new generations of music fans. The film succeeds at rediscovering his appeal anew, contextualizing his world and his politics, but the man’s true identity remains something of a mystery. The closest the movie comes to grappling with Fela’s mystique comes from footage of his stage presence — dancing, smoking, playing the saxophone, decrying the establishment — but even in those moments, he remains a mad, brilliant enigma. Maybe that’s part of his magic: even after a superbly made two-hour-long documentary, Kuti keeps many of his secrets to himself.
Criticwire Grade: A-