About

An electrifying concert film of an event often cited as the ‘Black Woodstock’, Wattstax has been recently restored and remastered into a thrilling music experience. Held in 1972 at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the event charged only $1 entry. The fee was to raise funds for the local community in the primarily black Los Angeles neighbourhood of Watts who were still reeling from the upheaval experienced during riots in 1965, which had protested against police brutality, discrimination and poverty. Organised by the music label Stax Records, the event featured its stable of music royalty including Queen of Memphis Soul, Carla Thomas, the indomitable Rufus Thomas (in white knee-high boots, hot-pink suit complete with hot-pink cape), and the master of cool, Black Moses himself, Isaac Hayes, performing the theme to ‘Shaft’ in bare chest and gold chains. From its white-hot opening by the black activist Rev. Jesse Jackson reciting the poem ‘I Am – Somebody’ as a call and response to a crowd of 100,000 people, Wattstax celebrates black identity, community and culture.

Wattstax is a whirlwind of funk, soul, jazz, gospel and blues interspersed with reflections on the black experience after the social rebellion in Watts. Comedian Richard Pryor contributes wickedly funny and insightful observations of black life in 1970s America throughout the film, along with engaging interviews with Watts locals covering topics such as the first time they experienced racism to discussion about politics, employment and stories of falling in love.

A testament to the power of a concert as an agent of healing and social empowerment, Wattstax is a musical masterwork celebrating the resilience and rebirth of the Los Angeles Watts community.

R18+ | The content is high in impact