SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT nominated for two European Film Awards

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat by Johan Grimonprez has been nominated for the European Film Awards in the category Best European Documentary and best European Film. This was announced by the European Film Academy.

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat was released in American cinemas last week. The film has been in cinemas in The Netherlands since two weeks.

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation. Since then, the documentary has travelled to numerous international film and documentary festivals, including the BFI London Film Festival, CPH:DOX, MoMA Doc Fortnight and IDFA, where director Johan Grimonprez was the Guest of Honour, placing him among the greatest international documentary makers such as Wang Bing, Laura Poitras and Gianfranco Rosi.

Johan Grimonprez wrote the screenplay and directed Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat based on archive footage and historical music recordings, with the theme of the post-colonial struggle for the rich raw material reserves of Congo after independence in 1960. The film is told from the unique perspective of Andrée Blouin, a forgotten pioneer of female emancipation and independence in Africa.