EIFF Sound + Vision to commemorate Jonathan Demme

Demme’s seminal Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense will be accompanied by live music from Indigo Velvet, RM Hubbert, Ela Orleans and Sacred Paws

Article by The Skinny | 31 May 2017

The recent death of Jonathan Demme left film fans across the globe heartbroken. The versatile director’s eclectic filmography represents one of the most surprising, rewarding and open-hearted in modern American cinema.

He made fizzy comedies (Citizen’s Band aka Handle with Care), screwball thrillers (Something Wild, Married to the Mob), moving dramas (Beloved, Philadelphia), oddball indies (Melvin and Howard, Rachel Getting Married) and made one of the most influential films of the 90s in Oscar-winner Silence of the Lambs.

Demme was perhaps best known, however, for his genius at capturing live musical performances. His joyous concert docs include films for Robyn Hitchcock (Storefront Hitchcock), Neil Young (Heart of Gold, Trunk Show, Journeys) and Justin Timberlake (Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids), but the best of the lot, and for our money the best concert doc of all time, was his Talking Heads film Stop Making Sense.

To mark his vital contribution to film and music, this year’s EIFF Sound + Vision strand pays tribute to Demme’s unique voice with a very special screening of that seminal concert film from 1984.

The event is a collaboration between Summerhall and Nothing Ever Happens Here…, who plan to bring 'the spirit of summer music festivals to the Summerhall courtyard,' and they’ve assembled an appropriately eclectic line-up of music in keeping with Talking Heads’ stylish, genre-hopping pop to create a festival vibe around Summerhall before the screening.

Ahead of Stop Making Sensethe event will see performances from Indigo Velvet, with their African-tinged indie rhythms; the bold, bittersweet alternative folk of Glasgow-based RM Hubbert; multi-instrumentalist Ela Orleans, whose music touches on everything from vintage electro to orchestral chamber pop; and indie art-punk outfit Sacred Paws.

Summerhall courtyard will be bursting with bars and food stalls, and there’ll be some VIP benches available for those who want to guarantee that extra bit of luxury. Summerhall suggest bringing cushions – although in our experience it's practically impossible to stay seated during Stop Making Sense. Best bring raincoats and blankets, though – it wouldn’t be a summer festival without the chance of a shower, would it?

This screening launches a new annual retrospective event. Each year EIFF will stage a single late night screening of a notable and relevant ‘live’ concert film from the past.

Fri 23 Jun, bands from 6pm; the film screens after sunset. For tickets, head to www.summerhall.co.uk/event/sound-vision