Given that soul has always developed under very particular socio-economic conditions and that the historical background is charged with a topicality that remains significant to this day, the music story will be told within both a historical and political context. In so doing, Soulpower unites a period that spans from the end of the Second World War to the new millennium. From race music to Rihanna. From Bo Diddley to Beyoncé. From Aretha to Adele. From Al Green to Alicia Keys. A thrillingly told, groovy documentary series presenting the big names, the music, the conflicts and the attitude to life of the past 60 years and allows them to resonate.
The Queens of Pop
ARTE viewers voted for the ‘Queens of Pop’. 8 pop queens were chosen from 50 proposals and these are presented in a 26-minute documentary: From the 1960s: Diana Ross. From the 1970s: Donna Summer and Debbie Harry. From the 1980s: Madonna. From the 1990s: Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. From 2000-2009: Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. The title of the programme, ‘Queens of Pop’, in itself shows where the emphasis lies – none of those simplistic chart rankings, but instead a documentary series that looks at our cultural history, dealing with the women who shaped popular music over the past fifty years.
United Kingdom of Pop
Let’s hope that the blessing of British pop culture is not lost to us after Brexit. After all, the UK is Europe’s number one pop nation, by a long stretch. The British gave us the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Coldplay and Adele. James Bond and Harry Potter. Monty Python, Mr Bean and Eddie Izzard. Music, humour and films from the UK are permanent fixtures in definitive European culture. Now the divorce is looming. But despite the nostalgic feelings, it has never been an easy relationship. In the two-part cultural documentary United Kingdom of Pop, Signed Media pays homage to Europe’s most innovative pop superpower and presents the main genres, their stars sand subcultures in the form of film essays. United Kingdom of Pop revisits the most important protagonists and contemporaries behind the crucial lines of development over the past decades, reviews them with experts and categorises them. In the course of this process, United Kingdom of Pop also follows up the most important political, cultural and economic events that are reflected in the country’s pop culture, and celebrates the open and multicultural spirit that has made British pop culture so great and so unique. Each episode is commented by the stars of britpop: New wave icon John Watts, Spice Girl Mel C, late Malcom McLaren, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and many more.