article by Sarah Grant via rollingstone.com
Unlocking the Truth, a metal band composed of three African-American seventh graders, is the subject of the acclaimed documentary Breaking a Monster. The music doc follows the unlikely trio – Alec Atkins, Malcolm Brickhouse and Jarad Dawkins – that scored a $1.8 million record deal with Sony Music Entertainment.
Breaking a Monster was directed by Luke Meyer, who follows the middle school metalheads around from the moment their first video went viral on YouTube. But like many young performers who stumble upon sudden success, the road to fame is fraught with uneasy demands, stress from parents and friends and tough life decisions.
“Originally I was asked to make a short film about the band when they were still gaining traction as street performers,” Meyer told film website IndieWire. “The short focused on what it’s like to be young and have unrestricted dreams about who you want to be in the world. In the case of Unlocking the Truth, because they’re so talented, those dreams didn’t feel as far-reaching as they might for some other kids.”
Breaking a Monster will be released this summer nationwide starting with a June 24 release in New York City and a July 1 release in Los Angeles.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICnJdMApbdE&w=560&h=315]
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/metal-trio-unlocking-the-truth-unveil-emotional-doc-trailer-20160603#ixzz4AkGcNfG5
Posts tagged as “music documentary”
I had no idea Spike Lee was working on another Michael Jackson film. Or maybe I did, but I just don’t recall. I searched the S&A archives but didn’t immediately find anything, so it doesn’t appear we mentioned it. There was the Michael Jackson documentary Spike made in 2012, in collaboration with Jackson’s estate and Sony Music, titled “Bad 25.” But this one is an entirely new project, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month.
Titled “Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to ‘Off The Wall'”, the documentary’s synopsis reads: Catapulted by the success of his first major solo project, “Off The Wall,” Michael Jackson went from child star to King of Pop. This film explores the seminal album, with rare archival footage and interviews from those who were there and those whose lives its success and legacy impacted.
My research tells me that Spike first shared that he was working on this earlier this year, while doing press for his last film, “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus,” ahead of its USA release. Although he didn’t share any details – just that he was working on it, with potential plans to make similar documentaries on other seminal MJ albums, like “Thriller.”
No trailer or much media available yet for “Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to ‘Off the Wall'” except for the above still from Sundance.
article by Tambay A. Obenson via Shadow And Act
Director Ron Howard will debut the “Made in America” documentary about the Jay Z-curated music festival in Philadelphia Oct. 11 on Showtime.
Close to 50,000 fans attended Jay-Z’s “Budweiser Made in America” festival on Labor Day weekend last year. The two-day event included performers such as Pearl Jam, Drake, Run DMC, Skrillex, D’Angelo and Calvin Harris.
The year’s festival kicks of this weekend with performances from Beyonce, Nine Inch Nails, Imagine Dragons, Deadmau5, Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Howard’s documentary serves as a backstage pass to the event, which showcases performers sharing stories of how they are “making it in America.”
It will debut Sept. 7 at the Toronto International Film Festival.
article via eurweb.com