Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around how something this massive just... vanished. We’re talking about 300,000 people. Six weeks of free concerts. Stevie Wonder on the drums. Nina Simone at her most militant. All of it happened in 1969, the same summer as Woodstock, yet for half a century, the Summer of Soul movie didn't exist because the footage was literally gathering dust in a basement.
The story goes that Hal Tulchin, the guy who filmed the Harlem Cultural Festival, tried to sell the reels to TV networks back in the day. Nobody wanted it. They called it "Black Woodstock" just to try and get a bite, but the gatekeepers didn't care. It took Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson—the drummer for The Roots—to finally unearth this "visual aquarium" and turn it into the 2021 masterpiece Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).
What Really Happened with the Summer of Soul Movie?
People always ask: how do you lose a whole festival?
It wasn't lost in the "I can't find my keys" sense. It was erased by indifference. While the media was obsessing over the mud and hippies at Woodstock a hundred miles away, Harlem was having a spiritual awakening. The festival took place in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) across six Sundays.
✨ Don't miss: Carrie Bradshaw apt NYC: Why Fans Still Flock to Perry Street
Questlove’s directorial debut isn't just a concert film. It’s a time machine. He spent five months with the 40 hours of footage playing on every screen in his house just to "soak it in." He basically lived in 1969 for half a year before he even started editing.
The Lineup That Makes Modern Festivals Look Tiny
If you look at the roster of the Summer of Soul movie, it’s actually ridiculous.
- Stevie Wonder: He was only 19. He was transitioning from the "Little Stevie" Motown era into the genius who would eventually dominate the 70s. Seeing him rip a drum solo is a highlight that usually leaves people's jaws on the floor.
- The 5th Dimension: They were often criticized for being "too white" for Black audiences. The film shows them winning over the crowd with "Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In."
- Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples: This is the emotional peak. Mahalia wasn't feeling well, so she leaned on Mavis to help her through "Take My Hand, Precious Lord." It’s raw. It’s loud. It’s the sound of a community grieving Dr. King just a year after his assassination.
- Sly and the Family Stone: They played Harlem just before they went to Woodstock. In Harlem, they were "zeitgeist transmitters," mixing funk, rock, and soul in a way that felt like it came from another planet.
Why the "Black Woodstock" Label is Kinda Wrong
Marketing the event as "Black Woodstock" was a survival tactic for Tulchin, but the Summer of Soul movie proves that’s a lazy comparison. Woodstock was about a counterculture trying to escape society. Harlem was about a culture trying to claim its place within society.
🔗 Read more: Brother May I Have Some Oats Script: Why This Bizarre Pig Meme Refuses to Die
The fashion alone tells the story. You see the shift from the suit-and-tie aesthetic of the early 60s to the dashikis, afros, and "Black is Beautiful" energy of the late 60s. It was a turning point. The Black Panthers provided security because the organizers didn't trust the NYPD. That’s a level of historical nuance you don't get in your average VH1 special.
The Mystery of the Missing Producer
Tony Lawrence was the guy who made it all happen. He was the host, the promoter, the guy who changed outfits five times a show. He was a force of nature. But here’s the weird part: Questlove couldn't find him. Despite all the success of the film—winning the Oscar for Best Documentary and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance—Lawrence has largely remained a ghost. It adds this layer of bittersweet mystery to the whole project.
The Technical Rescue Mission
Restoring the footage was a nightmare. The original two-inch videotapes had to be "baked" in special ovens to keep the magnetic coating from flaking off. Because Tulchin used videotape instead of film, the colors are weirdly vivid—almost like they were shot yesterday.
💡 You might also like: Brokeback Mountain Gay Scene: What Most People Get Wrong
Questlove didn't just show the music, though. He sat the original attendees down, showed them the footage on a laptop, and filmed their reactions. You see Musa Jackson, who was just a kid in 1969, start to cry. He thought he’d made the whole thing up because he never saw it on TV. He thought his memories were just dreams.
Is It Still Relevant?
Totally. Watching the Summer of Soul movie in the mid-2020s feels like looking in a mirror. The film touches on the moon landing, which many in Harlem felt was a waste of money while people were starving. It touches on police brutality and the heroin epidemic.
The movie reminds us that history isn't just what happened; it's what we choose to remember. For 50 years, the world chose to forget the Harlem Cultural Festival. This film is the correction.
How to Experience the Legacy Today
If you’ve watched the movie and want to go deeper, here is what you should actually do:
- Listen to the Soundtrack: The official release includes the live versions of the songs. The audio quality is surprisingly crisp because it was professionally recorded on-site, not just captured through a camera mic.
- Visit Marcus Garvey Park: If you’re in New York, go to the site. It’s still a community hub. Standing in the spot where Nina Simone told the crowd to "get ready" is a trip.
- Watch the Sly Stone Documentary: Questlove recently released Sly Lives! in 2025. It’s a natural follow-up if you were obsessed with the Family Stone’s set in the original film.
- Support Local Archives: The biggest takeaway from the film is that there are likely hundreds of other "lost" festivals sitting in basements. Look into projects like the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture to see what else is being restored.
The Summer of Soul movie isn't just a "good watch." It's a piece of evidence. It proves that Black joy, even when ignored by the mainstream, is indestructible. It just needs someone with enough soul to go find it.