Questlove Making Directorial Debut With Black Woodstock Documentary

John Lamparski/Getty Images for Tribeca TV Festival

Questlove Making Directorial Debut With Black Woodstock Documentary

John Lamparski/Getty Images for Tribeca TV Festival

Questlove is a man of many hats. The Roots co-leader has served as the musical director for Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show for years, he’s published a few books, and he’s been a producer on a number of television and film projects. His next new venture will be as a director of a movie.

As Variety reports, Questlove has signed on to direct a documentary called Black Woodstock about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that took place in Mount Morris Park and featured performances by Sly And The Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, B.B. King, and many more. Questlove will be wrangling over 40 hours of unreleased footage from the festival into a feature-length documentary.

“I am truly excited to help bring the passion, the story and the music of the Harlem Cultural Festival to audiences around the world,” he wrote in a statement. “The performances are extraordinary. I was stunned when I saw the lost footage for the first time. It’s incredible to look at 50 years of history that’s never been told, and I’m eager and humbled to tell that story.”

The Harlem Cultural Festival was highlighted by articles in The New York Times and Rolling Stone earlier this year to mark the festival’s 50th anniversary.

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