Acclaimed East African jazz vocalist Somi presents in the absence of things, the world premiere of her experimental short film with music from her Grammy-nominated album Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper with Frankfurt Radio Big Band. In this meditation, she reflects on the vacancy a performer feels in the absence of the living stage and the spiritual consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on creative practices. The film also aims to frame the disruption of otherwise quieted cultural spaces as a larger metaphor for the work many arts institutions still need to do in service of Black storytelling. Influenced by her Ugandan and Rwandan heritage, Somi’s elegant amalgam of jazz and African musics hits with an emotional punch and delights with purity. After the screening, she shares a short performance recently filmed in Senegal.

Available through May 31, 2021.