Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Documentary essay about the decolonisation of Africa, centred on the independence of the Congo from Belgium in 1960 and the imminent assassination of the first freely elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, the ‘securing’ of natural resources for the West and the rise of a civil rights movement in the USA, an almost ludicrous panorama of intrigue unfolds. The ‘soundtrack’ is provided by world-famous, predominantly American jazz musicians, whose music as well as their thoughts and actions help determine the structure of the film. (Lars Penning)

SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ETAT is one of the 15 great films that made it onto the Oscar® shortlist for best documentary film.