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Movies like In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz (2007)

The best movies like In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz (2007) are David Byrne's American Utopia (2020), Tupac: Resurrection (2003) and When We Were Kings (1996). If In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. David Byrne's American Utopia (2020)

    A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  2. Tupac: Resurrection (2003)

    Home movies, photographs, and recited poetry illustrate the life of Tupac Shakur, one of the most beloved, revolutionary, and volatile hip-hop MCs of all time.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  3. When We Were Kings (1996)

    It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)

    A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)

    A compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  6. OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) (2022)

    Grammy® winner singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo takes a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her debut album “SOUR,” to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album and shares her feelings as a young woman navigating a specific time in her life. Through new live arrangements of her songs, intimate interviews and never-before-seen footage from the making of the album, audiences will follow Olivia along on a cinematic journey exploring the story of “SOUR.”

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  7. I Called Him Morgan (2016)

    Part jazz history, part true-crime tale, Kasper Collin’s new documentary employs extensive archival footage and new interviews to tell the tragic story of the magnificently talented trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen, who murdered him in a New York bar in 1972.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

    During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost — until now.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

    Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  10. Girl Rising (2013)

    Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)

    A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  12. Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (2014)

    James Brown changed the face of American music forever. Abandoned by his parents at an early age, James Brown was a self-made man who became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, not just through his music, but also as a social activist. Charting his journey from rhythm and blues to funk, MR. DYNAMITE: THE RISE OF JAMES BROWN features rare and previously unseen footage, photographs and interviews, chronicling the musical ascension of “the hardest working man in show business,” from his first hit, “Please, Please, Please,” in 1956, to his iconic performances at the Apollo Theater, the T.A.M.I. Show, the Paris Olympia and more.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  13. Sound City (2013)

    The history of Sound City and their huge recording device; exploring how digital change has allowed 'people that have no place' in music to become stars. It follows former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighter David Grohl as he attempts to resurrect the studio back to former glories.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. Junun (2015)

    A documentary capturing the creation of the album Junun inside Rajasthan’s 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort. Paul Thomas Anderson follows Jonny Greenwood, Shye Ben Tzur, Nigel Godrich, and the Rajasthan Express as they record a cross-cultural fusion of Indian, Israeli, and Western music.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Live Aid (1985)

    Live Aid was held on 13 July 1985, simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States. It was one of the largest scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: watched live by an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations. "It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid...!"

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. 35 Up (1991)

    Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends (2019)

    This documentary focuses on the actors and their journey over two summers to create the remake to the original IT, by Stephen King. The documentary originally released as bonus material, bundled with IT: Chapter Two.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018)

    Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  19. Beastie Boys Story (2020)

    Here's a little story they're about to tell... Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz share the story of their band and 40 years of friendship in a live documentary experience directed by friend, collaborator, and their former grandfather, Spike Jonze.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  20. Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (2016)

    In January 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the final nights of the "20/20 Experience World Tour", director Jonathan Demme captures what makes the show soar: gifted musicians, deft dancers and a magnetic star.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  21. White Man with Black Bread (2007)

    Christof Wackernagel, best known in Germany as an actor and former member of the Red Army Faction ("RAF") lives in Mali. In his compelling portrait, Jonas Grosch shows a man who simply cannot stand still if he senses injustice. The courage to stand up for one’s beliefs coupled with vanity? However one chooses to look at it, it is easy to imagine what made him connect with the "RAF". With his irrepressible will for freedom, Christof Wackernagel gets entangled in the horrors of day-to-day life in Africa.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  22. Algeria in Flames (1958)

    These are the first images shot in the ALN maquis, camera in hand, at the end of 1956 and in 1957. These war images taken in the Aurès-Nementchas are intended to be the basis of a dialogue between French and Algerians for peace in Algeria, by demonstrating the existence of an armed organization close to the people. Three versions of Algeria in Flames are produced: French, German and Arabic. From the end of the editing, the film circulates without any cuts throughout the world, except in France where the first screening takes place in the occupied Sorbonne in 1968. Certain images of the film have circulated and are found in films, in particular Algerian films. Because of the excitement caused by this film, he was forced to go into hiding for 25 months. After the declaration of independence, he founded the first Algerian Audiovisual Center.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  23. Harry and Meghan: An African Journey (2019)

    “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey" features unprecedented access and exclusive interview with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the challenges they face living in the public eye.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  24. Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast (2019)

    In the late 1990s, iconic photographer Bruce Weber barely managed to convince legendary actor Robert Mitchum (1917-97) to let himself be filmed simply hanging out with friends, telling anecdotes from his life and recording jazz standards.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. Return of a President (2017)

    In a fascinating geopolitical drama, Danish filmmaker Mik-Meyer closely follows Ravalomanana as he attempts to return from exile in South Africa to Madagascar, under the threat of arrest and bodily harm.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  26. Spaceways (1968)

    A music documentary made with Sun Ra.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  27. Cuba Jazz (2015)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  28. Louis Armstrong: 100th Anniversary 1901-2001 (2001)

    A documentary featuring archive footage to celebrate the 100th birth of jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. Dear Director (2015)

    During the summer of 1980, the American jazz concert pianist Kazzrie Jaxen writes a 16 pages long letter to director Ingmar Bergman. His film 'From the Life of the Marionettes' have sent her on a dramatic inner journey, making her realize that she is not alone in her own body.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  30. The Hunters (1957)

    An ethnographic documentary following four Ju/’hoansi (!Kung) men during a multi-day giraffe hunt in the Kalahari Desert, filmed during the Smithsonian–Harvard Peabody expedition of 1952–53.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

Like In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz and something else?

Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz?

The closest matches to In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz are David Byrne's American Utopia (2020), Tupac: Resurrection (2003) and When We Were Kings (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz?

Start with David Byrne's American Utopia (2020), the closest match to In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz.

What is the highest-rated movie like In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz?

Searching for Sugar Man (2012), rated 7.9/10 by 1,087 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz?

OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) (2022) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there English movies like In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz?

Yes: David Byrne's American Utopia (2020), Tupac: Resurrection (2003) and When We Were Kings (1996).

How are movies similar to In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside In the Footsteps of Bembeya Jazz, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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