On the anniversary of the inaugural Budweiser Made In America festival, the trailer has been released for Ron Howard‘s documentary based on the hugely successful and culturally poignant event and its founder, Jay Z.
“It’s a bigger idea than just a concert,” says Jay Z, waxing lyrical on the festival that saw a stunning amalgamation of different music genres and people gathering in a melange of throbbing crowds, palpable energy and communal appreciation for expression through music. Jay Z prided the Philadelphia based event as being a genuinely profound experiment, far removed from the Shirts Off, Inhibitions Out tradition of Australian summer festivals: “Through all the lines and things that are put in place to divide each other, all like-minded people gather together. We’re more curious than ever. We create music to express ourselves….We’re all trading off each other’s culture. So no matter what lines you put–country, indie rock, rap–we’re all somehow gonna find a way to come together cause the lines and the titles can never keep us apart.”
The documentary, nicely complementing Jay Z’s Life And Times’ short doco from last week, is created by Ron Howard, described as “a reflection of the fabric of what it means to be ‘Made in America.’” The trailer shows Jay Z making us blush, saying, “I believe that every human being has genius level talent” and a brief narration by Ron Howard which gives off curious Arrested Development vibes with one smug voice that you just can’t detach from being The Bluth’s omnipresent guide. We also see Skrillex giving Ron Howard a DJ lesson, so needless to say this already looks completely perfect.
Jay Z: Made In America premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7.
Via Global Grind.
