The Magic City

On May 22, 1914, Herman Poole Blount arrived on Earth in Birmingham, Alabama. He would become known many years later as Sun
Ra and would become one of the most extraordinary and prolific jazz musicians of his century, as well as the founder of a strange
cosmic philosophy.

“The Magic City” known as Birmingham was a segregated city in the industrial South. Hostile at first glance, it was there that Sun Ra
laid the foundations of his mystical thinking and his music, seeing in his city an incredible world full of signs. He left it for Chicago at
the age of 32 and did not return until 1992, shortly before his death.

Portraying this artist as a young man as much as portraying a city, The Magic City tells the story of Sun Ra’s early years in this urban
universe that was both political and magical, common and fantastic, disturbing and fascinating.

written & directed by GUILLAUME MAUPIN & PABLO GUARISE

narrated by  WILHELMINA THOMAS

with THE PEOPLE OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

image ALEXI VAN HENNECKER | sound JEREMY BURNS & CHRIS BURNS

art directionGEORGE “BODILE” BALAMS | JAN RYMENANTS | costumes SOPHIE DE SERIERE | JOY SFEIR

editing JUSTIN MACKENZIE PEERS | sound design & mix  MARCO SAITTA |colou grading CHIARA PONTUALI

produced by BEATA SABOOVA & VINCENT METZINGER for NAOKO FILMS (BE) | STEVEN DHOEDT for Visualantics (BE) |DAVIDE MASTROPAOLO for AUDIOIMAGE (IT) | NICOLAS LESOULT for LES FILMS DE LA BUTTE (FR) | ELLEN MEIRESONNE for ATELIER GRAPHOUI | JAVIER PACKER Y COMYN for CBA – CENTRE DE L’AUDIOVISUEL A BRUXELLES | BASTIEN SIRODOT, CÉDRIC ILAND for UMEDIA | ISABELLE CHRISTIAENS for RTBF (BE) | VALÉRIE BERLEMONT for PROXIMUS

in association with UFUND | in collaboration with FERMENTO (IT)

with the support of  CENTRE DU CINÉMA ET DE L’AUDIOVISUEL DE LA FÉDÉRATION WALLONIE-BRUXELLES | FONDO PER LE COPRODUZIONI MINORITARIE | THE FLANDERS AUDIOVISUEL FUND (VAF) | CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA CINÉMATOGRAPHIE ET DE L’IMAGE ANIMÉE | TAX SHELTER DU GOUVERNEMENT FÉDÉRAL DE BELGIQUE ET DES INVESTISSEURS TAX SHELTER | RÉGION BRUXELLES-CAPITALE | LA PROCIREP ET l’ANGOA