GETTING IT BACK: THE STORY OF CYMANDE
NOW AVAILABLE
FOR RENTAL WORLDWIDE (EX-UK)
FOR A LIMITED TIME FROM MERCURY STUDIOS
“This documentary is an education and a good-news story about the remarkable 70s British funk band Cymande who should be as big as Earth Wind & Fire, but aren’t.
Or at least not yet.”
– THE GUARDIAN/Peter Bradshaw
“Tim Mackenzie-Smith’s joyous doc offers some Searching For Sugarman-style reappraisal. The Cymaissance starts here”
– TOTAL FILM/Matt Glasby
legendary British band Cymande have announced that Tim Mackenzie-Smith’s critically acclaimed and award winning documentary on Cymande: Getting It Back: The Story Of Cymande, will be available for rentals via Mercury Studios beginning today for a limited time. This marks the first time the film will be available as a rental anywhere in the world (ex-UK).
Cymande, a group of Black British musicians who all came to the U.K. from the Caribbean as children, released three brilliant albums in quick succession in the early 1970s and were embraced in the USA. But in the U.K., they faced a music business beset by prejudice against homegrown Black talent and were largely ignored. They originally split in 1975, but their music lived on, as successive generations of artists and fans found and embraced their songs. Hip Hop, House, Drum and Bass, R&B, Rare Groove, and crate-digging communities all saw something in the songs of Cymande that inspired them.
Through insightful interviews with band members and influential figures including Mark Ronson, Laura Lee and Mark Speer (Khruangbin), DJ Maseo (De La Soul), Jazzie B (Soul II Soul), Cut Chemist, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Louie Vega, and Kool DJ Red Alert, this stranger than fiction documentary explores the band’s profound impact and enduring legacy.
JULY 24TH
Amherst Cinema, Amherst MA
JULY 26TH – AUGUST 1ST
Quad Cinema, New York NY
*Q&As on Fri and Sat night at 7:15 with founding Cymande members Patrick Patterson & Steve Scipio
JULY 28TH
WFMU, Jersey City NJ
*Q&A with founding Cymande members Patrick Patterson & Steve Scipio and DJ Mona
JULY 31ST
The Regent Theatre, Arlington MA
AUGUST 2ND – 7TH
FilmScene, Iowa City, IA
AUGUST 3RD, 7TH, 8TH
The Cary Theater, Cary NC
AUGUST 7TH
Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica, CA
*Q&A with director Tim Mackenzie Smith
AUGUST 8TH
Laemmle Noho 7, North Hollywood, CA
*Q&A with director Tim Mackenzie Smith
AUGUST 14TH & 18TH
Esquire Theatre, Cincinnati OH
AUGUST 15TH
Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael CA
AUGUST 16TH
Art Theatre of Long Beach, Long Beach CA
AUGUST 21ST
Kenwood Theatre, Cincinnati OH
AUGUST 22ND
The Cabot, Beverly MA
AUGUST 28TH
The Hollywood Theatre, Portland OR
SEPTEMBER 20TH-22ND
Gateway Film Center, Columbus OH
OCTOBER 9TH & 13TH
Austin Film Society, Austin TX
AUSTRALIA
JUNE 15TH
Castlemaine Documentary Festival, Australia
PAST SCREENINGS
JULY 19TH
Soho House New York, New York NY
JULY 19TH
Soho House West Hollywood, West Hollywood CA
JULY 19TH
Ludlow House, New York NY
JULY 19TH
Soho House Chicago, Chicago IL
NOW PLAYING IN THE UK
VENUES
Available to watch on BFI Player and Blu-ray now (UK-only).
Watch Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande online – BFI Player