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Youssou N’Dour, Pop Music Islam

June 29, 2009

‘I Bring What I Love’ documentary explores the music and life of Grammy-winner Youssou N’Dour

By Jennifer Huber

Youssou N'Dour documentary, hope through music

HOLLYWOOD, CA (RPRN/Hollywood Today) 6/29/2009 - ”I could have never predicted the controversy surrounding ‘Egypt’,” says ‘I Bring What I Love’ director Chai Vasarhelyi. “Maybe best known as the man who sang with Peter Gabriel on In Your Eyes, N’Dour is a man on a mission and that mission is to bring about change and hope through music.”

Youssou N’Dour is the highest-selling African pop musician of all time and has released more than 30 albums. Time magazine named him one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2007. The film, while exploring bits of N’Dour’s history and family life, mostly centers around the release of his 2005 Grammy-winning album Egypt. Released with great resistance from his people in his homeland of Senegal due to his music’s religious content, it garnered praise and success in Europe and the United States.

“Regardless of your religious upbringing or musical tastes, you have the chance to see an artist take a risk, faces the consequences, effect change and finally be rewarded on the world stage,” says Vasarhelyi.

The film features concert footage from around the world. A constant at each show is the energy and life Youssou N’Dour brings to the audience. At every stop, people are seen singing, clapping and dancing to his music. He rarely sings in English, but his music seems to transcend language barriers. Vasarhelyi says she shaped the film around the themes of “conscience, faith, and doing the right thing”.

“I Bring What I Love covers timely issues,” says Vasarhelyi. “but like Youssou’s music, it is also about enjoying yourself. Through its gorgeous footage and its fun, sexy beats, I hope the film introduces audiences to places and experiences that are entirely new, and might even change the way you look at the world.”

Chai Vasarhelyi makes her feature-length documentary debut as a director. She does a good job painting the picture of N’Dour’s gift in inspiring those around him while giving us opportunities to see him perform.

“His songs were magic,” says Vasarhelyi. “That gave me the idea of making a big, beautiful film about Africa. I was drawn most of all to the hope Youssou creates. Although he is one of the most popular voices coming out of Africa, many people around the world still don’t know his work. So I wanted to make a film that would illuminate Youssou’s life and his message for others to discover.”

With its amazing shots, terrific score and positive message, this documentary succeeds in providing an educational and inside look at not only Youssou N’Dour and his music, but also of Africa and the Islam religion.

You’ll receive an appreciation for N’Dour’s music also also his amazing spirit and positive attitude. I Bring What I Love filmed in West Africa, Europe, the United States, Egypt, Morocco and Singapore.

Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love
Distributor: Shadow Distribution
Running time: 102 minutes
Release date: June 12, 2009 (New York), July 3, 2009 (Los Angeles)
MPAA rating: Rated PG for thematic elements and brief smoking

source: Hollywood Today

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