Today's IDFA viewing tip is the kind of film I normally stay away from: a feel-good film that is stylistically neat, but nowhere innovative. And yet I went flat and with me the whole audience. Why? For the same reason that a group of men with tablas and sitar made it Jazz at Lincoln Center gets flat. The combination of western jazz with Pakistani classical influences and an enthusiasm that you can say U to. Song of Lahore is a film that will make you happy and move you. Whether you want to or not.
At one time, Lahore was the cultural capital of Pakistan. Ancient art and a rich musical tradition attracted visitors from all over the country. In the 1970s, a strict Islamic government came to power. Music was banned. This did not mean the end of all musical life: many musicians continued underground. A studio remained where you could make recordings. But the son of one of the musicians in the film did get beaten up as he walked down the street with his instrument.
Against this background, we follow a group of men who have been playing together for ages. To innovate, they decide to bring jazz elements into their music. They play Dave Brubeck's Take 5, a youtube recording of which goes viral, generates an item on the BBC, which in turn leads to an invitation to come and play in New York with Wynton Marsalis. The total dedication to the music and their own disbelief that they are in New York, that it is really happening, are a joy to watch.
The nice thing about Song of Lahore is that it does not shy away from the political/religious situation, but does not thematise it either. It is not a problem film, but an ode to musicians, people and art. In grim times, I can't get enough of that.
What: Song of Lahore by Andy Shocken and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Where: today at 14:15 at Pathe de Munt, Amsterdam, to be seen later this week at Melkweg and Podium Moziek. Click here for tickets
English (UK) 
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