ADIFF Opening Night: Woodstock Of House

Got to visit the opening night of the 2022 ADIFF NYC Film Festival at Cinepolis Cinema. The opening night film " Woodstock Of House" to me was the best film to kick off this year's festival. The documentary is about the Chosen Few DJs from Chicago and how and why house music was prominent in black neighborhoods. The beginning of the documentary shows the anniversary festival for the Chosen Few where also they were celebrating the foundation of house music. The Chosen Few D.J.s consist of Alan King(a lawyer by day), Wayne Williams, Jesse Saunders, Tony and Andre Hatchett, Terry Hunter and Mike Dunn who since the mid 1970s helped build the foundation of house music in Chicago along with Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy along with others. From the anniversary picnic the film goes into the origin of house music a bit and discuss some of the earliest dee jays who help bridge the connection from disco to funk which combined build the foundation of house.

As several prominent people discussed how in black and spanish communities especially in Chicago where embracing this music where anyone can dance to without being ridiculed. There were a disdain for when White Americans got into it and incorporated their twist to make it appealing to the masses. There was a division as the underground discotheques which brought minorities together to enjoy themselves and the mainstream who felt it wasn't white enough to be appealing. Throughout the film you hear about this contrast a lot. The second half of the film is more about the work the dee jays put into the picnic and helping it grow from local to international all while staying active in the community. The group is discussed by local leaders and the dance community as being the godfathers of house music who help bring house to the world with others. Even President Obama know the crew and help with the renaming of a street after them. The film depicts how black and brown communities together can inspire the world and transform the narrative when they have the chance but mainstream America will always try to water down and manipulate what is broadcast to suit them.