Best of the Woods Hole Film Festival: Dusty & Stones

DUSTY & STONES, feature documentary by Jesse Rudoy, USA, 83 mins., runner up, Jury Award, Best Feature Documentary

Synopsis: Dusty & Stones intimately chronicles the remarkable ride of cousins Gazi “Dusty” Simelane and Linda “Stones” Msibi, a determined duo of struggling country singers from the tiny African Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) who long for their big break. When they are unexpectedly invited to record their songs in Nashville and to compete in a Texas battle of the bands, Dusty and Stones embark on their long-awaited first pilgrimage to the ancestral heart of country music. Over a momentous ten-day road trip through the American South, Dusty and Stones bring their music to life in a top Nashville recording studio, explore the storied locales of their favorite country songs, and excitedly engage with the culture they’ve long felt part of from afar. But this sense of kinship is abruptly thrown into question when Dusty and Stones arrive in the small town of Jefferson, Texas to compete in the battle of the bands. There, the hostile leader of the local backing band threatens to derail their debut American performance. As their family and friends back home wait for good news, a shell-shocked Dusty and Stones take the stage and fight to bring home an award for Swaziland.

Wednesday, October 11th, 6 pm
Tickets: $16 per screening, $12 members