Hot Docs & Manifesto partner for the first time to bring you Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. All pre-sale tickets were gone the minute it was announced, but don't worry the shows status is now RUSH, so if you show up an hour before the screening, you should still be able to get in. (RUSH means that there are only tickets available at the door).

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest

98 Min |USA | 14A

“Gotta feel the vibes, come from my creation / If the hands clap are filled with elation…”

In 1985, four high school friends from Queens and Brooklyn found themselves at the heart of the emergence of hip hop. Together they experimented with jazzy soundscapes, afro-centric infusions, sophisticated sampling, socially conscious lyrics and building an eclectic identity. Five years later, Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali and Jarobi found themselves in a successful and tumultuous 20-year collaboration that would cultivate sonic innovation for generations of hip hop fans and artists. Director, acclaimed actor and hip hop devotee Michael Rapaport gains intimate access to A Tribe Called Quest and their music, revealing very candid and raw moments within a complicated band dynamic. Featuring interviews with the likes of Monie Love, the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul and the Beastie Boys, Beats, Rhymes & Life delivers the authentic experience for true hip hop fans. - Karina Rotenstein

Sat, Apr 30 6:30 PM TIFF Bell Lightbox 1

Full info here

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In addition to the co-presentation of the Tribe film, we are also giving away 6 tickets for 3 films, so 18 tickets total, that were hand picked out of the Hot Docs Calendar that we thought the Manifesto family would enjoy.  See the synopsis for all of the films below and note the times listed are only for the screenings we are giving tickets away to, there are more show times for each so check out the Hot Docs site for more info on these screenings and more.

CONTEST: If you want to go to a film listed below (Other than Beats, Rhymes & Life, which is in RUSH) please email hotdocs@themanifesto.ca with:

1) The answer to what anniversary year is Manifesto celebrating this year at our festival?
2) The film you would like to see
3) The showtime

Each winner will get a pair of tickets to the screening of their choice and will be notified by April 20th.

Check out the synopsis of the three films below:

Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975

D: Göran Hugo Olsson / Sweden / 93 minues

From 1967 to 1975, Swedish journalists traveled to the United States to document the black power movement in America. For over 30 years, their 16mm tapes sat undiscovered in a basement in Sweden. Now, director Göran Hugo Olsson compiles their work into a powerful documentary that chronicles the movement’s strength and evolution with never-before-seen footage of leaders such as Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis and Eldridge Cleaver. Woven into the film are insightful commentaries from modern day artists and activists—Harry Belafonte, Sonia Sanchez, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, John Forte and Professor Robin D. G. Kelley—telling stories of how the heroes of the black power movement inspired and touched their lives. Features a stunning soundtrack by The Roots, Michael Jackson and Erykah Badu. - Heather Haynes

Fri, Apr 29      6:30 PM          Bloor Cinema
Sat, May 7       9:00 PM          Bloor Cinema

Full info here

Mama Africa

D: Mika Kaurismäki / Germany / 90 minutes

In his past three films—Moro no Brasil, Brasileirinho and Sonic Mirror—veteran filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki has explored music from both a sonic and sociological perspective. It was in the ’60s, growing up in a small town in Finland, that he first heard the voice of Miriam Makeba and was exposed to the rich cultural tapestry and politics of the African continent. With affection, Mama Africa is a biography celebrating the late South African singer and anti-apartheid activist, who gained international stardom while never compromising her traditional African roots. Stellar archival footage chronicles her complicated life and exile, performances with Harry Belafonte, Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, and life with husband Stokely Carmichael. Mama Africa honours a legendary voice and a woman whose moral conviction never wavered. Karina Rotenstein

Sat, Apr 30      6:15 PM          Bloor Cinema

Full info here

When the Drum is Beating

D: Whitney Dow / USA / 85 min

In the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haïtien resides the country’s oldest and most beloved band, Orchestre Septentrional. Founded in 1948 by Ulrick Pierre Louis, this rotating mix of Haiti’s finest musicians has toured New York City, Toronto, Montreal and Paris, delivering a mélange of traditional voodoo music and Latin rhythms. It’s the ‘Haitian people’s band’ and it has outlasted all of the country’s political leaders. Yet this documentary is about more than the music. Since gaining independence and wealth in 1804, Haiti, the world’s first black republic, has become the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, one that yearns for a promising future. When the Drum Is Beating offers a deeper understanding into the survival of Haitian culture and Septentrional through the country’s turbulent history. Award-winning director Whitney Dow (Two Towns of Jasper) delivers a humane and truly exceptional rendering of Haiti’s pride, resistance, despair and rich artistic tradition. Karina Rotenstein

When the Drum is Beating          1-May-11           9:00p   TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
When the Drum is Beating          3-May-11           1:15p   Isabel Bader

Full info here