For 20 years of IndieLisboa, it has already been 17 years of IndieMusic. This is the first IndieLisboa 2023 film collection to be announced. This year, the section dedicated to the encounter between music and cinema returns for another edition that does not accept any kind of border.
From Brazil comes Miúcha, Bossa Nova’s Voice. The documentary by Liliane Mutti and Daniel Zarvos searches for the moments in which Miúcha felt hopelessly like a singer, through the artist’s personal archive, which gathers letters, photographs, videos and even watercolours. Sister of Chico Buarque, wife of João Gilberto, Miúcha was part of the universe of Brazilian popular music from an early age, also working with names such as Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. A film that shows the female perspective of this musical movement, revealing, in the first person, the difficulties of being a woman in the show business of the 60s and 70s. From the UK, Anton Corbijn’s most recent documentary: Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) brings to the big screen the designer duo from the British studio Hipgnosis, responsible for memorable covers of iconic albums, in a film full of great figures from the world of music. Manipulating photographs since before computers, the duo became the great creators of the visual identities of the most popular artists of the 70s such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin or Paul McCartney. Portuguese music is represented by Clã, In the Shadow – Part 2, in its world premiere and In the Shadow – Part 1, both by Joana X. The two-part documentary follows the preparation of the band’s most recent album, Véspera, whose release was suddenly interrupted by the pandemic. Both chapters are part of the festival’s programme. IndieMusic’s journey continues to Mali. Markus C.M. Schmidt records the journey that took a German band to the Niger river coast, in order to find some of Mali’s historical big bands, such as Le Mystère Jazz de Tombouctou or The Rail Band from Bamako, and almost forgotten musicians from the 70s, such as Salif Keita from Les Ambassadeurs, ending up recording an album in his honour in a makeshift studio in Le Mali 70.
IndieMusic 2023 competition also brings several cult bands to Lisbon cinemas. Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control are examples: The Elephant 6 Recording Co., by C.B. Stockfleth, tells the story of the collective that gives its name to the film, sharing the creative evolution of its psychedelic rock throughout the 90s, which saw the birth of several musical groups. Lilly Creightmore also takes us on a journey into the world of psychedelics with Trip, where she follows bands such as The Black Angels or The Brian Jonestown Massacre, in a truly sensorial experience. In a more intimate portrait, CAN and Me, by Michael P. Aust and Tessa Knapp, celebrates the life and work of Irmin Schmidt, founding member of the legendary German band CAN, from his time as a conductor to the creation of soundtracks for films by Wim Wenders and Roland Klick. Also as a commemoration, and to pay tribute to the fiftieth anniversary of the British King Crimson, Toby Amies steals the title from one of the group’s albums and presents In the Court of the Crimson King, the documentary: a comic but also melancholic film about what it means to be in a band.
Directed by Robert Fantinatto, Subotnick: Portrait of an Electronic Music Pioneer is precisely what the title suggests: a documentary about the electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick that, between the past and the present time, and through interviews and live performances, tells us about the career of this fascinating composer. Clyde Petersen, in Even Hell Has its Heroes, captures the enigmatic essence of Earth, whose story could have ended too soon, threatened by drug abuse and the mourning for Kurt Cobain, forever present in the dynamic of the Seattle band.
This year, IndieMusic also includes a mini-cycle dedicated to hip-hop, to celebrate the 50 years that have passed since the party in a flat in the Bronx with DJ Kool Herc that, according to the myth, marked the beginning of hip-hop. We invited Sam the Kid to curate this cycle. To the challenge of choosing three films essential to the history of the genre, he responded with: Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, by Michael Rapaport, that gives us access to the backstage of the band Tribe Called Quest, from their success to the tensions that led to their sudden breakup; Scratch, by Doug Pray, which explores the universe of hip-hop DJs, from their emergence to their most recent explosion as a musical movement; and CB4, by Tamra Davis, a comedy starring Chris Rock, Allen Payne and Deezer D, that chronicles the rise to fame of the group that gives the film its name.
Take a look at IndieMusic 2023 playlist.
IndieLisboa’s 20th edition will take place from April 27 to May 7, and its programme will be presented at Cinema São Jorge, Culturgest, Cinemateca Portuguesa and Cinema Ideal.
List of films (with more to come)
CAN and Me, Michael P. Aust / Tessa Knapp, doc., Germany, 2023, 85′
The Elephant 6 Recording Co., C.B. Stockfleth, doc., USA, 2022, 93′
Even Hell has its Heroes, Clyde Petersen, doc., USA, 2023, 110′
In the Court of the Crimson King, Toby Amies, doc., UK, 2022, 86′
Le Mali 70, Markus C.M. Schmidt, doc., Germany, 2022, 93′
Miúcha, a Voz da Bossa Nova, Liliane Mutti / Daniel Zarvos, doc., Brazil / France, 2022, 98′
In the Shadow – Part 1, Joana X, doc., Portugal, 2022, 114′
In the Shadow – Part 2, Joana X, doc., Portugal, 2023, 105′
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), Anton Corbijn, doc., UK, 2022, 101′
Subotnick: Portrait of an Electronic Music Pioneer, Robert Fantinatto, doc., Canada, 2022, 87′
Trip, Lilly Creightmore, doc., UK, 2022, 73′
