Vivek Maddala Scores American Revolutionary: The Evolution Of Grace Lee Boggs
The film centers on Grace Lee Boggs, a 99-year-old Chinese American in Detroit with a legacy of over 70 years of political activism.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) October 25, 2014 - Composer Vivek Maddala scores American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, directed by Grace Lee. The film centers on Grace Lee Boggs, a 99-year-old Chinese American in Detroit with a legacy of over 70 years of political activism. Her activism is rooted in the most vital U.S. social movements, including labor, civil rights, Black Power, feminism, Asian American justice and environmental justice. Vivek Maddala's score is available on The FortyTwo Trading Company. Maddala was just nominated for 'Best Original Score - Documentary' for the 2014 Hollywood Music in Media Awards, taking place on November 4th at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood.
Vivek Maddala's interest in Grace Lee Boggs spans many years. The composer explains, "I discovered Grace Lee Boggs after hearing her speak on the news program Democracy Now!. I started reading her work on labor struggles, civil rights, feminism, environmental justice and economic sustainability. Caroline Libresco introduced me to Grace Lee who was making a documentary on Boggs. They asked me to write some music as a demo based on the concept of 'what time is it on the clock of the universe' (a question Grace poses to her students). They liked what I wrote and the piece eventually formed the basis for an on-going theme in the film." The score is anchored by a number of themes, each one evolving in partnership with the main storyline. The playful motif of the main title opens the film and variations are heard when we're summarizing the ideas of Hegel, Marx, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.
With Grace's life spanning an entire century, the musical cues follow her on the journey. Maddala explains, "With respect to the compositional structures, the orchestration and the production, I tried to make the music sound authentic like they're from their respective time in history." The documentary melds footage from the 1920s to the present. Maddala's lush score also reflects this idea, and he comments, "We have impish, subversive melodies using chamber strings that yield to melancholy piano; hard post-industrial rock texture that complement subtle reference to '50s jazz".
Vivek Maddala is an award-winning composer and a multi-instrumentalist. He is also a Sundance Institute Lab Fellowship alumnus. His scores have accompanied films that premiered at Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance Film Festivals. Maddala has produced music for a wide range of genres including rock, jazz, and world music. Maddala runs Tadcaster studios in Los Angeles, where he scores projects and produces albums for artists including Oscar® nominated songwriter Stephen Bishop. Vivek Maddala recently scored the feature documentary, I Will Find You, in theaters now.
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