Intriguing Music Films at 2010 Tribeca Film Festival

Above: Andy Serkis stars as late punk rocker Ian Dury in the biopic "sex & drugs & rock & roll."

The annual Tribeca Film Festival opens today (or tomorrow, officially) and as usual there's an interesting assortment of music-related films. As a TFF volunteer, I'm hoping to see free screenings of some of these movies in between my shifts. Here are some of the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival music films that I'm most interested in seeing.

"sex & drugs & rock & roll" stars Andy Serkis as the late British punk rock singer Ian Dury, best known for his wacky songs "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick," "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3," and of course "Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll." 

I've been a fan of Dury since my days as a college radio DJ, when I played those and other songs by Dury and his band, The Blockheads. I didn't know anything about his battle with polio or the effects his musical success had on his life, so I definitely want to catch this movie. 

After first hearing Serge Gainsbourg's songs a decade ago, I've become fascinated with his life and career. "Gainsbourg, Je t'Aime... Moi Non Plus" examines the French crooner's life, from his youth in wartime Paris to his emergence as a provocative, sometimes scandalous cultural figure in the wild 1960s. Gainsbourg is best known for his breathy, erotic duets with his wife, British actress Jane Birkin, and with Brigitte Bardot (with whom Gainsbourg had an affair).

Another feature film that sounds interesting is "The Last Play at Shea." The TFF description got my attention: "The intersecting histories of a stadium, a team, and a music legend are examined in a documentary that charts the ups and downs of the New York Mets and the life and career of Long Island native Billy Joel, the last performer to play Shea Stadium." The film includes concert footage and interviews with Joel and guests as diverse as Tony Bennett and Roger Daltrey. 

"Straight Outta L.A." is another film that examines the intersection of music and sports, in this case between rapper Ice Cube (who directed the film) and the Los Angeles Raiders (who were previously, and are now, the Oakland Raiders). Ice Cube's pioneering group N.W.A. "embraced the Raiders' image, swagger, and style, forever linking the Raiders' heyday in L.A. with the emergence of gangsta rap," says the TFF description. 

The film was produced with or by ESPN, which probably explains its short running time of 51 minutes.

"Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage" looks at the four-decade career of the Canadian rock band, from its beginnings in Toronto to popular, if not critical, success. The film is said to include backstage footage and interviews with musicians including Gene Simons of Kiss, Kirk Hammett of Metallica, and Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins.

As for fictional music films at Tribeca, "My Own Love Song" caught my eye. Besides being directed by Olivier Dahan, who won Oscars for his Edith Piaf biopic "La Vie en Rose," this road movie stars one of my favorite actresses, Renée Zellweger, as a wheelchair-bound ex-musician who is convinced to make a cross-country journey by an "endearing oddball" (played by Forest Whitaker). The cast also includes Nick Nolte.

There are more music films, including a number of shorts that look interesting. See the full lineup of 2010 Tribeca Film Festival music films here. 

Latin Music Legends On Screen, In Person at Tribeca

Multimillion-selling Latin/pop crossover star Gloria Estefan pays tribute to her native Cuba in her latest album "90 Millas," which features a who's-who of Cuban and other Latino music stars from different generations. Her husband, producer extraordinaire Emilio Estefan, made a low-budget documentary of the making of the album, and it received a special screening at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The screening of "90 Miles: The Documentary" was special because it was followed by a unique panel discussion about Latin music and the recording industry featuring the Estefans and some of the Latin stars featured in the movie, including groundbreaking Mexican guitarist Jose Feliciano, legendary Dominican composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco, and Cuban trumpet player Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros. (Also featured on Estefan's "90 Millas" CD are Israel Lopez Cachao, Arturo Sandoval, Carlos Santana, percussionist Sheila E., and young Latin hip-hop artist Pit Bull.)

The panel discussion was a very interesting look at the history and evolution of Latin music, touching on issues ranging from the African roots of Latin music and the strong connections between Cuban and Puerto Rican music to acceptance of Latin music in the mainstream music industry to what the artists thought of the decline of big music companies and the rise of Internet-based digital music.

Considering the collection of Latin stars past and present aligned on the stage, and the advanced age of Pacheco and Armenteros, this was truly a discussion that won't be seen again.

Emmanuel Jal: From Child Soldier to Worldwide Rap Star

American rappers often detail the hardships of guns and drugs in the 'hood, but their stories pale in comparison to that of Emmanuel Jal. Jale grew up in southern Sudan (a country in the news for the genocide in Darfur), and was at one time a child soldier. When he and more than 350 children left on a boat to escape the fighting, the overloaded boat sank, and Jal was one of just 50 survivors.

The journey of Emmanuel Jal from child soldier to a rapper who now uses his words to help heal the wounds of war is movingly told in the film "War Child," which on Saturday won the Cadillac Award - Audience Choice Winner at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Jal was present at some of the screenings of "War Child," and even rapped a cappella at the first screening, which was the film's North American premiere.

(The TFF has been consuming much of my time over the last week and a half, but I'll be making up for that by posting about some of the films, especially music-related ones, that were screened at the Festival.)

"War Child" director received $25,000 for winning the Cadillac Award. You can learn more about the film at its Web site, www.warchildmovie.com, and learn about the charity Jal has set up to fund education for children in Sudan.

Jal's music has been featured in movies including the documentary "God Grew Tired of Us" and the feature "Blood Diamond," as well as several episodes of the TV show "E.R."