This past Saturday, Film at Lincoln Center and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts were proud to co-present a special Juneteenth celebratory screening of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s debut feature, Summer of Soul, as part of Restart Stages.

Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park. The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. Summer of Soul shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest.

The film will open in theaters, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures, and on Hulu next Friday, July 2nd. 

Taking place on the outdoor plaza, our Juneteenth screening was an eventful evening, complete with noise-canceling headphones provided to all attendees in socially distanced, two-person “pods.” (FLC will also present a sneak preview of Ailey as part of Lincoln Center’s Restart Stages initiative on July 12—details to be announced shortly).

Check out a gallery of photos from the outdoor screening above and the post-screening Q&A with Thompson and FLC’s Deputy Executive Director, Eugene Hernandez below.

For more information on the recently designated federal holiday, read our Juneteenth Resources and Recommendations page here.