At the esteemed Sundance Film Festival next month, Questlove’s documentary about the life of funk icon Sly Stone will debut.
The follow-up to Quest’s Academy Award-winning directing debut, Summer of Soul, SLY LIVES!, was announced in 2022 and will make its debut at the yearly festival in Utah on January 23.
“Good people, now is the moment. It is official!Quest announced on Instagram that SLY LIVES! (also known as The Burden of Black Genius) would make its debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
“Directed by Oscar-Winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the film explores the life, music, and cultural significance of Sly Stone, focusing light on the hurdles faced by Black musicians navigating success,” he said as the official synopsis of the movie.
When announcing the project in 2022, Questlove said: “It goes beyond saying that Sly’s creative legacy is in my DNA… it’s a black musician’s blueprint. To be given the honor to explore his history and legacy is beyond a dream for me. Sly’s influence on popular music and culture as a whole is immeasurable, and what his career represents is a parable that transcends time and place.”
Amit Dey, head of MRC Non-Fiction, added: “Questlove’s vision, sensitivity and reverence brings the urgency that Sly’s story and music deserve, and we’re excited to be working with him to bring Sly’s story to life.”
The Roots drummer’s initial connection with Sly on film came in Summer of Soul, which spotlighted the 1969 Harlem Culture Festival – a festival that didn’t receive the type of mainstream appreciation or coverage as another famous 1969 festival, Woodstock.
In September, it was announced that Questlove will also be helming a documentary about the iconic group Earth, Wind & Fire.
The film, for which no title has been revealed, will reportedly feature “exclusive” access to the group’s archives, and has the support of the band and the estate of EWF founder Maurice White, who died in 2016.
“Having been baptized in the Afrocentric joy river of this powerhouse unit, I’ve learned about them, I’ve learned about us & more importantly, I’ve learned and rediscovered myself in the process. I’m so excited to be part of the process of preserving their positive but very vulnerable and real story of Soul, Self & Struggle,” Quest said.
