The documentary focuses on how a group of musicians brought worldwide acclaim to Sachal Studios by fusing jazz and South Asian instruments. PHOTO: FILE
Academy Award winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary, Song of Lahore, is gearing up for a star-studded opening in the US.
According to a press release, the documentary's New York and LA premieres will be hosted by legendary three time Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep.
Song of Lahore is set to release in the US this November with premieres in New York City on the 3rd of November, in San Francisco on the 6th and West Hollywood in Los Angeles on the 9th.
The documentary is based on the acclaimed Sachal Studios and their journey to New York, made in collaboration with Andy Schocken. It focuses on the music community of Lahore, which until the late 1970s, was world-renowned for its music and talent.
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In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again, they quietly released some classical and folk albums, but an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments brought Sachal Studios worldwide acclaim.
Song of Lahore turns the spotlight on Sachal Studios and charters the ensemble’s journey to reclaim and reinvigorate an art that has lost its space in Pakistan’s narrowing cultural sphere.
Being released in collaboration with Broad Green Pictures, the Song of Lahore premiere schedule comprises of a National Board of Review Screening on the 3rd of November followed by the National Board of Review Q&A featuring Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken.
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This will then be followed by the official Tastemaker Screening Hosted by Meryl Streep and The Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York and the Tastemaker Reception with a performance by the Sachal Jazz Ensemble.
A premiere at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco on the 6th of November follows New York, featuring Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken with a live Sachal Jazz Ensemble performance.
The team will then travel to West Hollywood in Los Angeles for the official Tastemaker Tea hosted by Meryl Streep on 9th of November at Palihouse featuring Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Andy Schocken and a live Sachal Jazz Ensemble performance.
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The Sachal Studios ensemble is headed by Izzat Majeed, a Lahore, Pakistan based businessman and music aficionado and comprises of musicians Nijat Ali [conductor/co-arranger], Baqir Abbas [flute], Saleem Khan [violin], Asad Ali [guitarist], Rafiq Ahmed [mardang/dhol], Najaf Ali [naal/dhol] and Ballu Khan [tabla].
Watch the official trailer here:
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