Oslojazz at Cinemateket
Jazz at the cinema
Oslo Jazz Festival and Cinemateket are collaborating to present high-quality films with jazz at their core. Together, we’ve selected a powerful trio of films. During the festival, you can watch the Oscar-nominated documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’État, an advance screening of the critically acclaimed Köln 75, and the family favorite Soul.
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
In this critically acclaimed documentary, director Johan Grimonprez shows how the USA used jazz as an unconventional weapon during the Cold War, and how it was deployed during the decolonization of Congo. A groundbreaking film in which Grimonprez utilizes vast amounts of archival footage, weaving it all into a fascinating insight into modern world history. The film was Oscar-nominated in 2025 and has won numerous awards worldwide, including the Special Jury Award for Cinematic Innovation at the Sundance Film Festival.
Köln 75
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Keith Jarrett’s classic album The Köln Concert. The album is one of the best-selling jazz records of all time and a cornerstone in jazz history. But it came incredibly close to never happening at all. This film tells the story of the chaos behind the scenes, with 18-year-old Vera Brandes at the heart of it. She moves heaven and earth to make the concert possible—allowing a masterpiece to be created and history to be made. Köln 75 was one of the major films at the Berlinale, and now it’s time for an advance screening at Cinemateket!
Soul
In Pixar’s Soul, we meet middle school teacher Joe Gardner, who gets the chance to fulfill his dream of playing at the best jazz club in New York. A small misstep sends Joe to the afterlife, where he meets the soul known as 22. Joe is willing to do anything to return to his life in New York, and along the way he tries to show 22 everything that makes life worth living. Soul is warm, touching, and funny—it hits all the right emotional notes and is filled to the brim with fantastic music. In other words, Disney at its very best.