“A stunning screed against colonial racism and state-sanctioned violence that reaches far beyond the years it directly covers.”—Greg Nussen, Slant Magazine
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate.
Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo’s leader Patrice Lumumba.
Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons. 2024, Belgium/France/Netherlands, DCP, in English French, Dutch, and Russian with English subtitles, 150 minutes.