Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Screening: 11 September 2025

Black and white photo of two smiling suited men sat in the back of a car with a woman between them

Director: Johan Grimonprez
Cast: Patrice Lumumba, Louis Armstrong, Dag Hammarskjöld, Dizzy Gillespie
Country: Belgium, France, Netherlands
Language: English, French, Russian, Danish, Arabic
Rating: 12A
Running time: 150 minutes

Film summary

Jazz and decolonisation are entwined in this historical rollercoaster that rewrites the Cold War episode that led musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach to crash the UN Security Council in protest against the murder of Patrice Lumumba.

Watch the trailer

What the critics said

“Writer and director Johan Grimonprez sets himself a difficult task with “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” yet accomplishes it with astonishing success. The film plays like both a dense historical text and a lively jazz concert while proving itself to be an invigorating piece of documentary filmmaking.”
Murtada Elfadi, Variety

“A vibrant film essay that marries jazz and politics… Grimonprez’s doc has an impressionistic flair that asks audiences to actively participate in piecing everything together… It’s a stirring rally that’s uniquely cinematic in the way so many elements come together so precisely and yet still feels so organic as well.”
David Opie, IndieWire

Major awards

Winner – Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation, Sundance 2024
Winner – Documentaire Extrordinaire, Bergen International Film Festival 2024
Nominee – Best Documentary Feature, Academy Awards USA 2025

Next film in the programme