Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat [1214539]
Released: 2024-09-11
Revenue: $311,457
Budget: $0
Profit: $311,457
Runtime: 150 mins
Popularity: 1.3589
Vote Average: 7.4
Vote Count: 35
Overview: Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War. In 1960, the UN became the stage for a political earthquake as the struggle for independence in the Congo put the world on high alert. The newly independent nation faced its first coup d'état, orchestrated by Western forces and Belgium, which were reluctant to relinquish control over their resource-rich former colony. The US tried to divert attention by sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the African continent. In 1961, Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba was brutally assassinated, silencing a key voice in the fight against colonialism; his death was facilitated by Belgian and CIA operatives. Musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach took action, denouncing imperialism and structural racism. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev intensified his criticism of the US, highlighting the racial barriers that characterized American society.

Cast [19]
Patrice Lumumba
Self
Louis Armstrong
Self
Nikita Khrushchev
Self
Dizzy Gillespie
Self
Andrée Blouin
Self
Abbey Lincoln
Self
Max Roach
Self
Malcolm X
Self
Nina Simone
Self
John Coltrane
Self
Duke Ellington
Self
Miriam Makeba
Self
Conor Cruise O’Brien
Self
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Self
René Magritte
Self
Allen Dulles
Self
In Koli Jean Bofane
Self
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Self
Fidel Castro
Self

Trailers
  1. A Conversation with SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT Director and Writer Johan Grimonprez
  2. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat – Official Trailer
  3. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat - Official Trailer