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Do you remember?
Today, Sept. 21, Fifth Season has unveiled its latest documentary project: an in-depth feature documentary on Earth, Wind & Fire. Questlove, the six-time Grammy-winning Roots drummer and frontman and Academy Award-winning director, is on board to direct the venture, channeling his vast experience with music history and the cultural impact of iconic music into a poignant examination of the legendary R&B group.
“Having been baptized in the Afrocentric joy river of this powerhouse unit, I’ve learned about them, I’ve learned about us & more importantly, I’ve learned and rediscovered myself in the process,” Ahmir “Questlove” Thomspon shared in a release. “I’m so excited to be part of the process of preserving their positive but VERY vulnerable and real story of Soul, Self & Struggle.”
Set to premiere in 2025, the film will feature unprecedented access to the group’s archives of visual, audio, and written artifacts from their heyday, as well as the encouragement of the estate of Maurice White and the band. Members Philip Bailey, Verdine White, and Ralph Johnson shared in a joint statement, “We look forward to this in-depth journey of our band, and are so excited to have Questlove directing the documentary.”
While still renowned for such classics as “September,” “Let’s Groove,” “Shining Star,” “That’s the Way of the World” and many more, Earth, Wind & Fire’s intricate genre-bending sound and ideological commitment to resilient positivity as a therapy to the Black community were just as vital to their triumphant success. All this and more–including the group’s pioneering engagement with Afrofuturism and spiritual messaging–will be centered in Questlove’s account, following his exploration of similar themes in his acclaimed 2021 documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).
Fifth Season will finance the documentary, which will be produced by RadicalMedia’s Dave Sirulnick and Samantha Grogin, Arron Saxe of Kinfolk Management + Media and Broken Halo Entertainment’s KB White–the son of Earth, Wind & Fire’s bandleader.
With today’s timely announcement, Mary Lisio (Fifth Season’s EVP of Non-Scripted Development & Production) detailed, “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to give audiences unfettered access to one of the most successful and culturally meaningful music groups in history. With the exceptionally talented Questlove at the helm, empowered by Fifth Season’s strong track record in the music documentary space and the production capabilities of our producing partners, we have tremendous confidence this will be a captivating exploration of the groundbreaking group and its rise to global superstardom.”
Check out Questlove’s official announcement below.
A post shared by Questlove (@questlove)
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