The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum will host the world premiere showings
Aloe Blacc is starring in America’s Musical Journey, a new 3D IMAX documentary celebrating the unique diversity of cultures and creative innovations that characterize America, as told through the story of its music. The film hits select theaters on Friday, February 16th with a roll out expansion planned through fall 2018. Partners of the film include Brand USA, Expedia and Air Canada, marking the latter’s first time as a presenting sponsor.
Narrated by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, the film follows Grammy Award-nominated singer and songwriter Aloe Blacc as he traces the roots of America’s music and follows the footsteps of Louis Armstrong through the colorful locales and cultures where America’s music was born. Visiting iconic music cities including New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; New York City, New York; Nashville, and Memphis, Tennessee; Miami, Florida, and more, America’s Musical Journey explores the collision of cultures that gave birth to American art forms such as jazz, the blues, country, rock and roll, hip-hop, and more. As audiences join Blacc on this joyful, tune-filled tour, they’ll experience uniquely American adventures like paddle-wheel boating up the Mississippi Delta, flash mob dancing in Chicago, and skydiving with Elvis impersonators over Memphis in scenes shot exclusively for the giant screen.
Academy Award-nominated director Greg MacGillivray threads all these images together to create an immersive experience of American culture and creativity with a soundtrack that showcases the national passion for creative innovation at its purest. “America’s music has its roots in the diverse cultures that came together from different parts of the world, culminating in a unique blend of sound, culture, and innovation unlike anywhere else in the world,” says MacGillivray. “This creativity and trailblazing spirit is what makes American music such a treasured experience around the world. I hope people are inspired to explore their own creativity after seeing the film.”
“Music is an essential part of the human experience, and I look forward to helping audiences discover the unique cultural influences that gave rise to jazz, the blues, folk, and other American musical genres,” states Aloe Blacc. “I love the freedom of expression in this country, which is a source of creativity and innovation unlike anywhere else.”
In addition to Blacc, audiences will meet other iconic artists, musicians, and innovators who are shaping America’s culture today, including Jon Batiste, bandleader and musical director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Latin music stars Gloria and Emilio Estefan, New Orleans music hero Dr. John, Chicago jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, teenage banjo-playing phenomenon Willow Osborne, Memphis jookin dance star Lil Buck, the Detroit Youth Choir, Chicago footwork maestros Pause Eddie and Donnetta “Lil Bit” Jackson, the Bandaloop vertical dancers, the Fisk University Jubilee Singers, the Beale Street Flippers, skydiving Elvis impersonators and many more.
Brand USA will host the film’s world premiere at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on Thursday, February 15th, with a second premiere held at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on Friday, February 16th. The second premiere will be co-hosted by Brand USA partner and DC’s Official Destination Marketing Organization, Destination DC. Brand USA executives, filmmakers, and government officials will be in attendance to celebrate the premiere of the film.
The film will run from February 17th to 25th daily at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater in Washington, DC and at the Airbus IMAX Theater at the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The film will continue to run indefinitely at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s Warner Bros. Theater. There will be festivities on behalf of the film held both domestically and in international markets such as Paris, France; Mexico City, Mexico; Tokyo, Japan; and Beijing, China to mark the opening of the film around the world.
