Sly Stone Documentary From Questlove to Premiere at Sundance
by Best Classic Bands Staff
A new documentary on the leader and legacy of Sly and the Family Stone from director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson will premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The film, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), was first announced in 2021. From the description on the Sundance website, “Through an incredible soundtrack, exuberant archival footage and thought-provoking discussions with family, band members, scholars, and musicians, Thompson presents a powerful tribute to the visionary musical artistry of Sly & the Family Stone, while honoring and celebrating Black creativity.” The festival’s slate was announced on Dec. 11; it runs from Jan. 23 – Feb. 2.
In the film’s original announcement, back in 2021, Questlove said in a statement: “It goes beyond saying that Sly’s creative legacy is in my DNA….it’s a black musician’s blueprint….to be given the honor to explore his history and legacy is beyond a dream for me.”
Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart on March 15, 1943, formed the biracial, mixed-gender psychedelic soul-rock-funk group in the mid-’60s and led it to great success over the next several years, scoring hits like “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People” and “Hot Fun in the Summertime.” Sly and the Family Stone were one of the most celebrated acts at the 1969 Woodstock festival and the documentary film made of the event.
The Sly documentary is being produced by MRC Non-Fiction Partners with Network Entertainment, Two One Five Entertainment, Stardust Films and ID8 Multimedia.
“Sly’s influence on popular music and culture as a whole is immeasurable, and what his career represents is a parable that transcends time and place,” said Amit Dey, head of MRC Non-Fiction, in the original Feb. 19, 2021 announcement. “Questlove’s vision, sensitivity and reverence brings the urgency that Sly’s story and music deserve, and we’re excited to be working with him to bring Sly’s story to life.”
In a June 13, 2024, interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to promote his new book, Hip Hop is History, Thompson, the drummer of the Roots, offered a brief update as he was about to be finish it. “When I’m done [with this interview]… I’m gonna actually finalize it. Today’s the last day… two years of working on [it].” The film has been acquired by Hulu, though its premiere date has not been announced. [Questlove’s recent book is available here.]
Questlove on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ June 13, 2024
Thompson’s 2021 directorial debut, Summer of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film, which tells of the little known 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, secured a distribution deal with Searchlight Pictures and Hulu. It’s also available for purchase here.
According to a Feb. 2021 report on Deadline.com, the Sly Stone film “is expected to focus not just on his successes, but also the consequences and cultural expectations of that rise in an era of expanding media, shifting societal norms in the ’60s, the Black Power movement and the backlash that followed.”
On the same day as news of the documentary was first revealed, Sony Music released an animated video of “Everyday People.”
Stone published his memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), in 2023. It’s available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. The group’s recordings are available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
Related: The story behind Sly’s “Dance to the Music”
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Athens, Ohio, a cold and wintery day in early 1972: The show started late, and after a wobbly entrance and clearly intoxicated by something–or maybe many things–Sly had to physically be helped strapping on his guitar. “Oh oh,” I’m thinking from the sixth row, this is looking to be a major train wreck. What followed, however, was the most amazing, tight, powerful and soulful 45-minute show I’ve ever attended. And then he and the band were gone.