Kino Lorber Takes U.S. Rights for ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’

Kino Lorber has picked up U.S. rights to Johan Grimonprez’s Sundance-winning documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, which traces how the U.S. used “Jazz Ambassadors” like Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Duke Ellington, to build goodwill during the Cold War all while orchestrating clandestine operations to destabilize the Congo.

Kino Lorber will partner with specialist streamer Kanopy on the U.S. release of the film. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat marks Lorber’s second collaboration with Grimonprez following their 2010 release of his hybrid doc-drama Double Take, which stitches together clips from Alfred Hitchcock’s films and TV work, together with 50s news footage and commercials, to tell a fictional story of Cold War paranoia.

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“Johan Grimonprez is a master of making political history feel newly alive and utterly fascinating, and he’s done it again with his latest film Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” said Richard Lorber, chairman and CEO of Kino Lorber. “A captivating documentary that skewers capitalists and colonizers to thumping jazz beats, it’s a historical tour de force and a wildly compelling cinematic experience. We’re thrilled to be working with Johan again and can’t wait to share Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat with U.S. audiences, who will surely find themselves moved and shaken by the rhythm and rigor of his enthralling new film.”

Kino Lorber picked up Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat from Submarine Entertainment at the Cannes film market. Lorber senior vice President Wendy Lidell negotiated the deal with Matt Burke of Submarine. Mediawan Rights is handling international sales for the film and has already inked multiple territories including Australia (Madman), Benelux (Imagine), Brazil (Bela Artes Grupo), Greece (Cinobo), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Spain (Filmin), Thailand (Documentary Club) and ex-Yugoslavia (Beldocs).

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is produced by Onomatopee Films and Warboys Films, in co-production with Zap-O-Matik, Baldr Film, ZKM | Center For Art And Media Karlsruhe, RTBF Télévision Belge and VRT.

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