Sound Unseen Film/Music Festival announces initial selections for its 21st edition (November 11-15)
Alex Winter’s ZAPPA will be this year’s Closing Night Selection for critically-acclaimed film/music festival which will expand its virtual borders to include Texas with Minnesota this year
Minneapolis, MN (October 6, 2020) – The Sound Unseen Film/Music Festival (November 11-15) previewed the film festival’s 21st edition of the festival today by revealing the titles of five initial selections and announcing that this year’s virtual presentation will be available for the first time to audiences in both Minnesota and Texas. Among the first five titles announced is the Closing Night selection of Alex Winter’s highly anticipated documentary ZAPPA.
Also announced were Chelsea Christer’s BLEEDING AUDIO, TT the Artist’s DARK CITY BENEATH THE BEAT, Frank Licari and Helen Murphy’s JOSE FELICIANO: BEHIND THIS GUITAR, and Gabriel Range’s STARDUST.
Sound Unseen also announced the ascension of Richard Gill as Sound Unseen’s Program Director leading into this year’s virtual event. Gill said, “This year has brought seemingly countless challenges for everyone in every walk of life, and certainly for film festivals and the film and music industry. However, we have looked at the opportunities that being in the virtual space present to us and one of those is making these great films, the work of the fantastic filmmakers and music artists available not just to our Minneapolis fans, but also to the entire state of Minnesota. In addition, we have long wanted to offer the Sound Unseen experience in Austin, Texas, due to that city’s legendary music scene, and the fact that our festival director Jim Brunzell, lives there, so the ability to open ourselves up to the state of Texas is another great silver lining.”
Alex Winter’s ZAPPA, which will be Sound Unseen’s Closing Night selection, might be one of the most highly anticipated music documentaries in recent memory. Described as “by far the most intimate and expansive look into the innovative life of Frank Zappa” by his son Ahmet, the film utilizes a wealth of archival footage and interviews with a sea of people he worked with, contemporaries, and, of course, his family members, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time.
Additional Sound Unseen films unveiled include; Chelsea Christer’s BLEEDING AUDIO, which looks at the arc of The Matches' promising career, defeating break up, and inspiring reunion as they reflect on what success truly means for musicians in today's digital industry; TT the Artist’s DARK CITY BENEATH THE BEAT, produced by Issa Rae (Insecure) which focuses on the city of Baltimore, through its homegrown sound; Frank Licari and Helen Murphy’s JOSE FELICIANO: BEHIND THE GUITAR, which profiles the life and 55+ year career of 8-Time Grammy winner, Jose Feliciano; and Gabriel Range’s STARDUST. Starring Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron, and Jena Malone, the film dramatizes David Bowie’s reinvention as Ziggy Stardust in the early 70s.
Earlybird badges for the Sound Unseen Film + Music festival are on sale now for $50 and will go up the week of the festival kickoff, while individual tickets will go on sale coinciding with the announcement of the full lineup of films, panels and additional virtual presentations, performances, and events. For more information about Sound Unseen, go to: http://www.soundunseen.com.
The 2020 Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival initial selections:
Closing Night Selection
ZAPPA
Director: Alex Winter
Countries: USA, Running Time: 127 min
With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Alex Winter's film features appearances by Frank's widow Gail Zappa and several of Frank's musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood. Ray White and others.
BLEEDING AUDIO
Director: Chelsea Christer
Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min
BLEEDING AUDIO is an intimate portrait detailing The Matches' promising career, defeating break up, and inspiring reunion as they reflect on what success truly means for musicians in today's digital industry. The Matches' story overlaps with the drastic changes the music industry has undergone in the past several years. From declining record sales, to excessive touring, to illegal downloading and streaming. This documentary uses The Matches history and recent reunion to dig deeper into the root of the challenges the average musician faces in the digital age of the industry, and how artists can navigate their careers today.
DARK CITY BENEATH THE BEAT
Director: TT the Artist
Country: USA, Running Time: 65 min
DARK CITY BENEATH THE BEAT reimagines the narrative of Baltimore, a city rising above social and economic turmoil to develop a vibrant and close-knit community for the arts through its homegrown sound, Baltimore club music. The film is produced by Issa Rae (Insecure).
JOSE FELICIANO: BEHIND THIS GUITAR
Directors: Frank Licari, Helen Murphy
Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min
JOSE FELICIANO: BEHIND THIS GUITAR looks at the life and 55+ year career of 8-Time Grammy winner, Jose Feliciano. Feliciano was the first ever Latin crossover artist, the first to stylize the national anthem and one of the most underrated singer/guitarists of all time.
**JOSE FELICIANO: BEHIND THIS GUITAR will be available in Minnesota only**
STARDUST
Director: Gabriel Range
Country: UK, Running Time: 109 min
In 1971, a 24-year-old fledgling David Bowie (Johnny Flynn) is sent to America to promote his newest record, The Man Who Sold the World. Leaving behind his pregnant wife Angie (Jena Malone), Bowie and his band embark on a makeshift coast-to-coast promotional tour with struggling Mercury Records publicist Rob Oberman (Marc Maron). Stateside, Bowie is quickly met with an audience that’s not yet ready for him. During the tumultuous journey, Bowie slowly begins to realize a need to reinvent himself in order to truly become himself; it’s with that realization that his iconic, celestial alter-ego Ziggy Stardust is born.
ABOUT SOUND UNSEEN
Sound Unseen LLC founded in 1999, is a cultural organization dedicated to the role of film and music as a conduit of powerful ideas and diverse viewpoints. Our mission is to foster a greater appreciation of cinema, to bridge cultures, create and expand community, provide cultural exchange, networking opportunities and educational outreach through regular interaction with great films, filmmakers, musicians and artists.
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