Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, a documentary on the legendary trumpeter directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Nelson, will be screened this week at the Maryland Film Festival in Baltimore, Md. Nelson, who has directed numerous award-winning films documenting the African-American experience including The Black Panthers, Freedom Riders, and Jesse Owens, will be at the screening on Friday, May 10 for a panel moderated by Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday and featuring Nelson, former Davis sideman Gary Bartz, jazz impresario Todd Barkan and filmmaker/producer Elissa Blount Morehead. The film will also be screened at the festival on Sunday, May 12. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool was previously featured at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. In addition, on Sunday the festival is screening Robert Mugge’s powerful 1984 documentary The Gospel According to Al Green, which captures the soul singer at the moment he shifted to become a preacher and gospel singer.
