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Streaming January 12-24, 2024 Digital Screening Room

Germany | 90 minutes | 2023

Jazz Fever

International Premiere

Jazz is hip! Whether in the club or in the dance palace, swinging rhythms are now en vogue again. Yet few people know about the roots of this music, which conquered the dance floors of towns and cities all over the world 100 years ago. What exactly is jazz, and how did it find its way to Germany? Why did the Nazis oppose it and why were swing kids sent to forced labor camps and jazz musicians sent to concentration camps? How did jazz achieve its breakthrough after the war and what significance does it have for jazz musicians today? This fascinating film embarks on a quest to uncover these answers, following a group of young jazz musicians as they delve deep into the origins of this music. Rooted in the present and driven by curiosity, Jazz Fever is a journey searching for the past. It seamlessly combines live performances, rehearsals, interviews, and archival footage to provide a diverse, intelligent, and foot-tapping film that guides us through the rich history of German jazz.

Director's Bio

Directed by Reinhard Kungel

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Reinhard Kungel is the founder of RK Film Productions, a film production company with a body of work featuring more than 100 films that are primarily focused on documentaries for television broadcast, including a variety of music-related films. He is also the author of the book "Film Music for Filmmakers." Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a diverse range of musicians, such as Peter Erskine, Wayne Shorter, David Was (Not Was), Poncho Sanchez, Nils-Petter Molvaer, Eivind Aarset, Rigmor Gustafsson, Victoria Tolstoi, Nils Landgren, Cassandra Wilson, and many others.

Cast and Credits

Director

Reinhard Kungel

Screenwriter

Reinhard Kungel

Cinematographer

Reinhard Kungel, Hans-Peter Eckardt

Editor

Thomas Holzhaeuser, Reinhard Kungel

Cast

Klaus Doldinger, Mareike Wiening, Max Greger

Film Info

Year

2023

Country

Germany

Run-time

90 minutes

Language

German with English subtitles
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