Hugh Masekela

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, ...

I Am Thalente (2015)

Homeless since the age of nine, South African skateboarder Thalente Biyela travels to the US to pursue his dream of becoming a professional skateboarder. Through his eyes, we experience what it takes to rise up out of circumstance and escape a lifetime on ...

Alekesam (2013)

A father exiled from his country, a son exiled from his father, and their mutual attempt to connect to the world and each other through music. ...

The Journey – Stories from the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (2011)

Soul Power (2009)

Soul Power is a 2008 documentary film about the Zaire 74 music festival in Kinshasa which accompanied the Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight boxing championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in October 1974. The film was made from archival fo ...

Sophiatown (2003)

Little Bird's first South African production, SOPHIATOWN has won the award for Best Documentary at the Cape Town World Cinema Festival 2003. SOPHIATOWN celebrates the great popular jazz music of the 1950's in South Africa; a rich tradition deserving inter ...

Freedom Beat (2003)

On January 5, 1988, Artists Against Apartheid held a huge show in London to protest against the racist regime in South Africa, demanding the release of Nelson Mandela, jailed for 25 years for fighting to end prejudice against black people. British musician ...

Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony (2002)

The struggle to eradicate apartheid in South Africa has been chronicled over time, but no one has addressed the vital role music plays in this challenge. This documentary by Lee Hirsch recounts a fascinating and little-known part of South Africa's politica ...

Blue Notes and Exiled Voices (1992)

An affectionate portrait of exiled South African musicians in London, featuring Louis Moholo, Pinise Saul and Hugh Masekela. ...

Spike & Co. Do It a-Cappella (1990)

A 1990 PBS documentary around the topic of A cappella music. Artists that performed as part of the documentary include The Mint Juleps, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Rockapella and The Persuasions. It also stars Spike Lee, Debbie Allen and a cameo appearance by ...

Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute (1988)

Wembley Stadium hosts a concert featuring stars from the fields of music, comedy and film, in celebration of the 70th birthday of imprisoned ANC leader Nelson Mandela. Highlight of the evening is the one hour live performance of Dire Straits feat. Eric Cla ...

The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert (1988)

There was a time when the biggest names in pop music believed they could change the world for the better. Faced with the intolerance and excesses of the established authorities, music celebrities decided to use their prestige to draw attention to the probl ...

Paul Simon | Graceland: The African Concert (1987)

Singer Paul Simon and several African musicians perform a concert to benefit victims of apartheid in South Africa. ...

Monterey Pop (1968)

Featuring performances by popular artists of the 1960s, this concert film highlights the music of the 1967 California festival. Although not all musicians who performed at the Monterey Pop Festival are on film, some of the notable acts include the Mamas an ...

Mandela (1996)

A documentary that chronicles the life of South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandela is probably best known for his 27 years of imprisonment, and for bringing an end to apartheid. But this film also sheds light on the little-known early period of Mandela ...