Wattstax

OCOpen Caption screening
Additional program content
SFSensory Friendly. Details HERE

There are no showtimes currently scheduled for this film.

Wattstax

“A candid, colorful and deeply meaningful sociocultural time capsule, one that captured the Black community at the height of its political energy and optimism.” (Washington Post)

In 1972, Stax Records organized a benefit concert to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the riots in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The epochal “Black Woodstock” held at LA’s Memorial Coliseum featured incendiary performances by Stax artists Isaac Hayes, Albert King, Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Staple Singers, the Emotions, the Bar-Kays, and other greats of soul, R&B, and gospel—plus biting humor from a then little-known Richard Pryor. Wattstax is more than a concert film; It also captures a heady moment in mid-1970s African American culture, when the community came together to celebrate its survival and renewed hope in its future.

This film is part of the Sounds of Summer: Greatest Hits Vol. 1 series.



Coming Soon

A Real Pain

Opens 11/8 — Westchester Exclusive!

Blitz

Opens 11/8—Tickets on sale now!

Dahomey

Opens 11/15—Westchester Exclusive!

Wicked

Opens 11/22—Tickets on sale now!

The Jacob Burns Film Center is proud to receive generous support from:

Email Sign Up

Get updates on screenings at the JBFC Theater, upcoming events, and more!