Ethiopiques: Revolt of the Soul from the director Maciek Bochniak charts the rise of Ethiopian jazz which became a worldwide phenomenon while it was nearly completely forgotten.

1960’s and 70’s Addis Ababa. Local nightlife is flourishing and artists revel in Western music to create a completely new sound; a powerful combination of rock, funk and jazz with distinctive harmony and throaty vocals that becomes known as Ethio-jazz. In 1974, this golden age comes to an abrupt end when emperor is toppled, and prominent musicians are forced to abandon their passion or flee the country, leaving their music behind. In the 1980’s one of these long-forgotten albums is discovered by French music producer Francis Falceto and for the next decade he dedicates himself to releasing the unique sound, which finds fans in Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, Tom Waits, Robert Plant and Jim Jarmusch.
In his latest documentary feature, Maciek Bochniak (One Billion Happy People, Disco polo), takes the audience on a unique journey charting the history of one of the most original music genres of the 20th century. Together with Falceto they reach jazz musicians scattered all over the world who reminisce on the swinging Seventies, wild parties and an Ethiopia that no longer exists. Ethiopiques: Revolt of the Soul documents nearly five years of meticulous search across three continents; it’s a moving story about a lost generation and the price paid by Ethiopian artists, the creators of stunning sounds and music, for their fight for freedom and their own dreams. The film was produced by HBO Europe, Pokromski Studio and P’Artisan Filmproduktion with the financial support of the Polish Film Institute and Media Creative Europe.