Salute to Newport Folk Festival!
Official World Theatrical Premiere of Digitally-Restored Edition of "Festival!"
World Premiere Of Two Films of Never-Before-Seen Performances!
Triple-Bill of Stars of Folk, Country, Blues & Gospel!
Tribute to Director Murray Lerner

Friday August 17, 2018 - 7:30 pm
Aero Theatre, Santa Monica

FESTIVAL!

(1967, 97 mins, MLF/Criterion/Janus, Directed by Murray Lerner)

Murray Lerner chronicled all the major artists at the Newport Folk Festival during four crucial years - 1963-1966 - and his Oscar-nominated 1967 documentary illustrates how the festival was one of the crucibles in which the early 60s folk, blues and roots boom evolved into the folk-rock, blues-rock and psychedelic counter-culture of the late 60s. Includes Dylan, Joan Baez, Donovan, Judy Collins, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Odetta plus blues legends Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and many more!

BEYOND FESTIVAL!

(2016, 30 mins, MLF/Historic, Directed by Murray Lerner)

Documentary-maker Murray Lerner virtually lived at Newport for four consecutive summers 1963-1966. It gave him an opportunity to combine his two loves - filmmaking and America's roots music. Folk, blues and gospel - three of the strands most on display - were considered a niche taste at that time. That didn't concern Lerner. He documented everything of worth that he saw. He managed to distill the essence of the festival into his 97-minute Oscar-nominated film. But there's a vast treasure trove of footage that didn't get into that movie. In recent years he started to comb through miles of unseen celluloid in his vaults. "Beyond Festival!" is a 30-minute sequence that he assembled in 2016 of some of the many remarkable unseen performances. World Premiere!!! Never seen before!!!

IF I HAD MY WAY: UNSEEN FESTIVAL (1963-1966)

(2016, 60 mins, MLF/Historic, Directed by Murray Lerner)

Joe Lauro of Historic Films started collaborating with Murray Lerner several years ago and is working now to create new films from the vast archive of festival footage shot by Murray Lerner between 1963-1966. This 60-minute film is a special assembly curated and edited by Joe Lauro of previously-unseen appearances. None of the songs seen and heard in this film were featured in the original 1967 film "Festival!" or Murray Lerner's unseen 2016 sequence "Beyond Festival!" World Premiere!!! Never seen before!!!

Today's Stars!

Musicians:

Clarence Ashley • Joan Baez • Theodore Bikel • Mike Bloomfield • The Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers • Dock Boggs • The Bluegrass Boys • Paul Butterfield • The Cajun Band • Maybelle Carter • Johnny Cash • The Chambers Brothers • Judy Collins • Reverend Gary Davis • Donovan • Jimmy Driftwood • Bob Dylan • Cousin Emmy • Richard & Mimi Farina • The Freedom Singers • Jesse Fuller • The Georgia Sea Island Singers • Fannie Lou Hamer • John Lee Hooker • Lightnin' Hopkins • Son House • Mississippi John Hurt • The Jim Kweskin Jug Band • Spider John Koerner • Jim Kweskin • The Lilly Brothers • Tex Logan • Mel Lyman • Spokes Mashiyane • Mississippi Fred McDowell • Bill Monroe • The Moving Star Hall Singers • The New Lost City Ramblers • Phil Ochs • Odetta • The Osborne Brothers • Peter, Paul & Mary • The Paul Butterfield Blues Band • Tom Paxton • Peter, Paul & Mary • Doc Reese • Almeda "Granny" Riddle • The Sacred Harp Singers • Buffy Sainte-Marie • Mike Seeger • Pete Seeger • The Southern Fife & Drum Corps • The Stanley Brothers • The Staple Singers • Mavis Staples • Noel Paul Stookey • The Swan Silvertones • Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee • Mary Travers • Muddy Waters • Doc Watson • Bukka White • Reverend Robert Wilkins • Howlin' Wolf • Peter Yarrow