Documentary: The United States Of Hoodoo
The United States of Hoodoo (2012)
A Film by Oliver Hardt
Written by Darius James and Oliver Hardt
Original Music by Arto Lindsay & Rabotnik
Cinematography: Harald Schmuck
Editing, Color Grading, Polishing: Martin Hoffmann
Graphic Design: Thomas Lauterberg
Titling: Michael Wagner
Still Photography: Ayana V. Jackson
Narrator English Version: Darius James
Narrator German Version: Reiner Schoene
Sound Recording and Pre-Mix: Tobias Schinko
Voice Recording: Jockel Merholz
Sound Mixing: Oliver Achatz
Creative Producer: Christel Brunn
Executive Producers: Sebastian Popp, Robert Malzahn
Co-Executive Producer: Christel Brunn
Co-Producer: Oliver Hardt
Associate Producer: Melanie Flemming
Associate Producer USA: Petra Hammerl-Mistry
Production Assistants: Melanie Jaenecke, Bianca Stich
Production company: Stoked Film, Frankfurt
in coproduction with tvt. film+vfx and signature films
in coproduction with ZDF in association with arte
Commissioning Editor: Kathrin Brinkmann
For a period of two months, Darius James, the author of That´s Blaxploitation!!!! and Negrophobia, and German director and filmmaker Oliver Hardt (Black Deutschland) embark on a journey into the fabric of African-rooted, urban creativity. Their aim is to find voodoo’s contemporary forms of expression in music, arts and culture and to learn about their universal spiritual sources. Through meetings with musicians, writers and artists, miracle healers and gumbo cooks, Mississippi Blues men and black Elvis imitators, this documentary draws a picture of a culture that has always been hybrid and porous, and which has drawn on its unique mix of different ethnic influences to produce its cultural diversity, allure, and vitality.
Principal photography took place from April 7 – Mai 26, 2011 in New York City, New Haven (Ct), Long Branch (NJ), New Orleans (La), Memphis (Tn), Greenwood (Ms), San Francisco (Ca), Seattle (Wa) and Chicago (Il).
Featuring Darius James and Ishmael Reed, Nick Cave, Val Jeanty, Shantrelle P. Lewis, Danny Simmons, Kanene Holder, David “Goat” Carson, Hassan Sekou Allen, Sallie Ann Glassman and others
Research, development and production with friendly support by the Hessen Film Fund.
U.S. funding supported by the San Francisco Film Society – Project Development and Fiscal Sponsorship program
