SPHE Press Release: Soul Power (DVD)

For Immediate Release

"MARVELOUS.”-
                                         – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“VIBRANT AND JOYOUS!  ONE-OF-A-KIND.”-
                                                           – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

“EXTRAVAGANTLY ENTERTAINING!  PERFORMERS CAPTURED WITH REMARKABLE SONIC BRILLIANCE AND VISUAL IMMEDIACY.” –

                                                     -- A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The Greatest Music Festival You’ve Never Seen, Featuring Rare, Archival Performances By Legends James Brown,

B.B. King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz

SOUL POWER

Available on Blu-ray™ and DVD January 26, 2010

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (Nov. 16, 2009) – Soul Power, the greatest music festival you’ve never seen, arrives on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on January 26, 2010. Soul Power is a stunning documentary about the legendary, three day music festival, co-created by musician Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine, in Zaire that accompanied “The Rumble in The Jungle,” the epic, Don King-promoted boxing match that pitted Muhammad Ali against George Foreman.  At the peak of their musical powers, featured artists include James Brown, B.B. King, Bill Withers and Celia Cruz, among others.
 

Soul Power’s bonus features include deleted scenes and a commentary with Director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and music/festival Producer Stewart Levine. The Blu-ray Disc™ includes movieIQ featuring the "Soul” Playlist which allows viewers to immediately access real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie through BD Live!  Also includes an interactive playlist where you can bookmark your favorite songs featured in the film and email yourself a customized playlist! The Sony Pictures Classics film will be available on DVD for $28.96 SRP, while the Blu-ray version will sell for $34.95 SRP.

Synopsis:

In 1974, the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Africa for a 12-hour, three-night long concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The dream-child of Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine, this music festival became a reality when they convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with “The Rumble in the Jungle,” the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, previously chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary WHEN WE WERE KINGS. SOUL POWER is a verité documentary about this legendary music festival (dubbed “Zaire ‘74”), and it depicts the experiences and performances of such musical luminaries as James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz, among a host of others. At the peak of their talents and the height of their careers, these artists were inspired by this return to their African roots, as well as the enthusiasm of the Zairian audience, to give the performances of their lives.

DVD/ Blu-ray Special Features Include:

·         Deleted Scenes

·         Commentary with Director Jeffrey Levy-Hinte & music/festival Producer Stewart Levine

Blu-ray™ Exclusive Special Features Include:

·         movieIQ: featuring the "Soul" Playlist - Bookmark your favorite songs featured in the film and email yourself a customized playlist!

The Blu-ray Disc™ version of Soul Power is BD-Live™ enabled, allowing users to get connected and go beyond the disc via an Internet-connected Blu-ray player. Download content, give feedback through an exclusive survey, and register for rewards.

Get rewarded for registering your Sony Blu-ray discs! The Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club rewards consumers in the U.S. for purchasing and registering BD-Live enabled Sony Blu-ray movies. By accumulating points, members are then able to redeem those points for cool Sony products. Visitwww.sonyrewards.com/bluray for more details.

Soul Power has a run time of approximately 93 minutes and is rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and brief strong language.  Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com.

DVD Single-Disc

Blu-ray™ High-Def Disc