IRISH PREMIERE

Against the backdrop of the Cold War, the US State Department sends ‘jazz ambassadors’ Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, and Duke Ellington to Congo, a newly independent, resource-rich African nation, to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup that would lead to the assassination of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. In the months that follow, drummer Max Roach leads Maya Angelou in a protest at the United Nations. Belgian director Johan Grimonprez’s bravura cinematic essay, drawn from a wealth of archival footage, newsreels, testimonials, and newly uncovered home movies, won the Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation at the Sundance Film Festival.

Notes by David O’Mahony

Screening as part of IFI Documentary Festival 2024.