In the 1970s and ‘80s, bandleader Fela Anikulapo Kuti took his native Nigeria by storm with his pioneering Afrobeat sound. The music was funky, jazzy and politically confrontational, and it spread across the continent and around the world. At home in Africa, Afrobeat played a pivotal role in the postcolonial activism of the era. It also put Kuti in direct conflict with Nigeria’s repressive military regime. Friday we’re joined in Park City by Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney, who’s made a film about Kuti’s life and his enduring relevance.
Finding Fela is showing in the Doc Premiers category at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It's first screening at the festival is Friday afternoon at 2:15 at the MARC theater in Park City. For additional screenings and more information about the film, visit the Sundance Film Festival 2014 web site.
GUESTS
- Alex Gibney is the Academy Award-winning director of Finding Fela and numerous other films, including Taxi to the Dark Side, Mea Maxima Culpa and We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks.
- Stephen Hendel is the executive producer of Finding Fela. He also produced and co-conceived, along with his wife Ruth, the Broadway musical FELA!
