We Want the Funk! | Independent Film Screening

Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS, and WSIU with partner the Carbondale Public Library will host a screening of “WE WANT THE FUNK!” featuring a free dinner and community discussion. “WE WANT THE FUNK!” features some of the most iconic musical legends, including James Brown, George Clinton, Questlove, David Bowie, and Elton John. Directed by Stanley Nelson and co-directed and produced by Nicole London, the documentary is a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music.

From the early work of James Brown and the rise of Parliament-Funkadelic through the present day, “WE WANT THE FUNK!” provides a kaleidoscopic look into the history of funk music. Distinctly urban, funk music reflected a post-Civil Rights Movement sensibility. The film examines the symbiotic relationship between the explosion of funk music and the political and racial dynamics in 1970s America.