This is not a film about music. This is a film about musicians.
Filmmaker Bob Moczydlowsky returns to Kansas City to give 150 people a sneak-peak of his recently finished film entitled 72 Musicians. The fundraiser screening will take place at 6 p.m. this Sunday, July 19th at the Screenland Theatre at 1656 Washington in Kansas City, Missouri. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advanced online at www.72musicians.com/download/screenland by noon on the 19th. The money from the screening will go toward further funding their near-nothing-budget-film to travel to various film festivals.
Aside from the fundraising aspect of the screening it serves an additionally unique purpose.
“The idea of the screening is to create an environment where the people who are in the film and featured in the film can see it ahead of time in an environment where it’s just us.” – Bob Moczydlowsky
The screening is open to anyone who purchases a ticket but likely that the theater will be full of those musicians seen in the film and others who were involved.
“My opinion is that this film belongs as much to the people who are in it as much as it belongs to me.” – Moczydlowsky
After the screening everyone is invited out for laughs and drinks the Record Bar where 72 Musicians was filmed two and a half years ago.
72 Musicians consists of one part performance and the other part interview. The majority of the footage for the film came from the OxBlood Showcase in February, 2007 at the Record Bar in Kansas City. The filmmaker and crew filmed the entire two night show and conducted personal interviews with the artists and other local musicians from the Kansas City and Lawrence areas to capture their lives and stories. But viewers will not be able to tell who the artists are or what city they are in when watching the film.
“The film is about musicians, it’s not about music. And it’s about any musician anywhere. It just so happens to be the universal story told by people who live in Kansas City and Lawrence.” -Moczydlowsky
The film had its first showing last Sunday at the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville, Maine.
“We got a very enthusiastic response and a lot of Q and A afterward. They bought us drinks at the bar when the screening was over, so apparently they liked it.” – Moczydlowsky
72 Musicians will be returning to Kansas City in September for the Kansas International Film Festival, so those who do not get a chance to make it to the sneak-peak will have an opportunity to see it then.
Moczydlowsky says that the film will eventually be available for download on their website and a free 12 song soundtrack is available to download now.
72 Musicians: website
