Next week, for the tenth year in a row, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society will host its FilMusic festival celebrating the intersection of music and cinema. Featuring a diverse array of movies, spanning genre and decade, the four-day festival running from June 23-26 will also include several live performances.
Richard Paradise, longtime director of the Film Society, considers music and film inextricably linked. Moreover, he sees the cultural influence of film most often manifest in its soundtrack. It was this cinematic legacy that inspired him to initially host the festival.
“The first inspiration [for the festival] was that people love music,” Mr. Paradise said. “Culturally and cinematically music is so important. You can think of any film — even silent films — and it needed the accompaniment of music to make them work.”
The films range from a profile of Marin Alsop — the first female music director at a major symphony — to a deep-dive into the history of the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
One of the season’s most-awaited films, Don’t Make Me Over, a documentary chronicling the life of legendary recording artist Dionne Warwick will debut on Sunday, June 26. The film is a product of a collaboration between Oscar-nominated director David Heilbroner, a Chilmark resident, and Dave Freeman Wooley, the co-author of Ms. Warwick’s autobiography.
Another film with Vineyard connections is The Reverend, which captures the infectious energy of Rev. Vince Anderson. Subtitled The Minister of Music, the documentary opens the festival on June 23. It tells the story of Mr. Anderson’s decision to drop out of seminary to start the The Love Choir, a gospel and devotional act that has performed a weekly show in a Brooklyn bar for over 20 years.
Directed by Nick Canfield, whose family has longtime Vineyard connections, the film looks to convey how essential music is in the spiritual lives of all people, no matter their faith, Mr. Canfield said in a phone call with the Gazette.
“It’s a spiritual experience for the members of the audience, all different ages, faiths, old people, atheists,” Mr. Canfield said. “And they are all having a religious experience at 1 a.m. in a bar, a setting where spiritual experiences don’t ordinarily happen.”
Mr. Anderson will attend the film, with plans to play a short set after the showing. To understand his philosophy of music, live performance is essential, Mr. Canfield said. “Vince will say that singing together is something we don’t really get to do in our culture anymore. There are very few places where we actually sing together. And when you’re singing together you are unable to fight. The goal is to harmonize.”
Principally, Mr. Paradise said he sees the festival as an opportunity to highlight the creativity of filmmakers on the forefront of musical cinema.
“Each year the genres represented in the festival change, as well as the slate of the films, but music is always the heartbeat of the festival,” Mr. Paradise said.
For tickets and schedule information, visit mvfilmsociety.com.
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