Rockin' the Kremlin

FAIN: TW-50096-11

Grammy Museum Foundation, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA 90015-1360)
Jim Brown (Project Director: January 2011 to present)

Production of a 90-minute documentary film examining how American rock and roll music contributed to the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the fall of the Soviet Empire.

To support production and post-production of the documentary film "Rockin' The Kremlin." This 90-minute film analyzes how the American cultural innovation of Rock and Roll music - originally banned by the Soviet government and its Eastern European Satellites - became so popular behind the Iron Curtain that it spurred a strong resentment towards the Soviet restrictions imposed on it and fueled a youth movement invested in Western values and freedom that ultimately contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Empire. The documentary utilizes interviews with key participants, witnesses and analysts interwoven with performance footage and archival materials to cast a new light on the Cold War era. This important story yields pertinent lessons about the value of the "soft" power of culture and artistic innovation that engages youth culture and promotes meaningful understanding between polarized nations.