Space is the Place

The people have no music that is in coordination with their spirits. Because of this, they’re out of tune with the universe. ― Sun Ra

Sun Ra’s science-fiction cult classic visualizes his cosmology through narrative, featuring a now legendary free jazz electronic score composed as spiritual uplift for oppressed people. The story mirrors the struggles of African Americans in society through the metaphor of the alien arriving from a parallel universe into 1970s Oakland, California. Utilizing a “Good Versus Evil” plotline, Sun Ra battles the corrupt figure of the Overseer, a character that represents the establishment, who is at the center of the oppression of people and destruction on planet Earth.

Preceded by Frances Bodomo’s short film Afronauts, a true story about Zambia’s space program which provides an alternative history of the 1960s space race.

Film Details

Director: John Coney

Year: 1974

Running time: 85 minutes

Country: UK

Language: English

Format: Digital Cinema Package

Screens courtesy: Jim Newman

Films and schedules may be subject to change.