FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2015
Media Contact:
Jessie Cohen
310.360.1981
[email protected]
2015 Sundance Film Festival ‘A Celebration of Music in Film’ Concert
Shines a Spotlight on Songs of Nina Simone
Performances by Common, Erykah Badu, Aloe Blacc,
Kate Davis and Andra Day
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute today announced that the 2015 Sundance Film Festival’s ‘A Celebration of
Music in Film’ concert on January 25 will be a tribute to jazz icon Nina Simone, who is the subject of What
Happened, Miss Simone?, from director Liz Garbus and making its world premiere in the Festival’s Documentary
Premieres section. Performing at the event will be Common, Erykah Badu, Aloe Blacc, Kate Davis, Andra Day
and Al Schackman, Simone’s long time guitarist/musical director who appears in the film. The event is hosted by
the Sundance Institute Film Music Program.
Peter Golub, Director of the Sundance Institute Film Music Program and co-producer of A Celebration of Music in
Film, said, "Our Film Music Program works year-round to connect composers and filmmakers, including at our
summer labs, where composers, filmmakers and sound designers combine music, sound and image. A
Celebration of Music and Film furthers that work by shining a spotlight for audiences on the important role music
plays in film."
Tracy McKnight, veteran music supervisor and co-producer of A Celebration of Music in Film, said, “Nina
Simone is an icon of American music – her remarkable and singular talent made her one of the greatest musical
storytellers of all time. We are thrilled to be hosting an evening of her music with such an extraordinary lineup of
artists paying tribute.”
The concert is open to all Festival credential holders (21 and older) on a space-available basis. Additional
programming updates will be made via sundance.org/festival and @sundancefestnow on Twitter. Join the
conversation around A Celebration of Music in Film on social media with #CelebrationMusic.
Additional Music Programming at the Festival
The Festival will also celebrate music’s role in film during its first Art of Film Weekend (January 29-31), with a
panel with renowned composer Harry Gregson-Williams (the Shrek series, The Chronicles of Narnia series, The
Town, Man on Fire, Kingdom of Heaven and Spy Game). Additional music components of the Festival include
th
daytime performances at the 17 annual Sundance ASCAP Music Café (Jan 23-30, 1:30-6:00 p.m. daily), where
featured performers include: Andrew Dost of fun. (from the film The D Train), Jamestown Revival, Joe McGinty of
the Psychedellic Furs & The Losers Lounge (from the film What Happened, Miss Simone?), Scott Weiland and
more. BMI will host a roundtable discussion about “Music & Film: The Creative Process,” (January 27, 4:00-6:00
p.m. at the Festival’s Filmmaker Lodge) as well as their annual Music Showcase: BMI Snowball (January 28, 8:00
p.m. at Sundance House Presented by HP), headlined by iTunes breakthrough artist Christina Perri.
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The Sundance Institute Film Music Program is supported by Time Warner Foundation, the John S. and James L.
Knight Foundation, BMI, City Drive Films, and The Film Music Foundation.
The Sundance Film Festival®
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the
past three decades, including Whiplash, Boyhood, Rich Hill, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Little
Miss Sunshine, sex, lies, and videotape, Reservoir Dogs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth,
Precious and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative has showcased groundbreaking media
works by artists and creative technologists including Chris Milk, Doug Aitken, Palmer Luckey, Klip Collective and
Nonny de la Pena. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2015 Festival sponsors to
date include: Presenting Sponsors – HP, Acura, SundanceTV and Chase Sapphire Preferred®; Leadership
Sponsors – Adobe, Airbnb, Grey Goose® Vodka, LensCrafters, Southwest Airlines and YouTube; Sustaining
Sponsors – Blundstone Australia Pty Ltd, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Chobani, LLC, Omnicom, Stella
Artois® and VIZIO. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic
Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the
Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute's year-round programs for independent artists. sundance.org/festival
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves
the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting,
and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and
internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new
ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance
Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible
War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join
Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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