Satan & Adam

Viewpoints

World Premiere

USA | 78 MINUTES | English | English subtitles

SATAN & ADAM

New York, Documentary, Music, First Time Filmmaker
One day in 1986, Adam Gussow, a white, Ivy League-educated harmonica player, found himself nursing a broken heart and walking down the street in Harlem, a block from the Apollo Theater. There, he came upon a one-man blues band: Sterling Magee. Better known as Satan, Magee was a local legend with heavy blues guitar riffs and makeshift percussion instruments. Word around the neighborhood was, he had backed James Brown at the Apollo and cut singles for Ray Charles’s Tangerine label, but no one really knew for sure. When Adam sat in on a session with Satan that day, a most unlikely blues pairing formed. Their partnership would transcend the racial tensions of a segregated city and the anxiety of a neighborhood that was hyper-aware of the perils of gentrification.

Satan & Adam is a celebration of the blues, the transformative power of music, and the friendships that develop when artists collaborate. Director V. Scott Balcerek pulls together two decades of documentary footage, including amazing musical performances, to chart the duo’s rise from the streets of Harlem to bigger and bigger stages and to depict the challenges that come with success.

—Jason Gutierrez

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by V. Scott Balcerek

V. Scott Balcerek is a filmmaker and musician who has worked as an editor on dozens of projects, including the short documentary Street Songs, which received a Student Academy Award®, and the acclaimed LeBron James documentary More Than a Game.
Director
V. Scott Balcerek
Producer
Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern, JR Mitchell
Screenwriter
V. Scott Balcerek, Ryan Suffern
Cinematographer
Michael Grady, Mark Knobil, Jeffrey A. Unay, Ryan Suffern
Editor
Martin Singer, V. Scott Balcerek, JR Mitchell
Executive Producer
Bryn Mooser, Hayley Papas, Matt Ipolito, Trevor Birney, Brendan J. Byrne, Corey Russell
Associate Producer
Alexandra Bowen
Co-Producer
Craig McTurk, Jeff Pollack, Adam Ballachey
Cast
Sterling Magee, Adam Gussow, The Edge, Rev. Al Sharpton, Harry Shearer, Quint Davis

CONTACTS

International Sales Contact
David Piperni
Cargo Film and Releasing
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 2129958139
dpiperni@cargofilm-releasing.com
US Sales Contact
David Piperni
Cargo Film and Releasing
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 2129958139
dpiperni@cargofilm-releasing.com
Press Contact
David Magdael
David Magdael & Associates
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: 213 624 7827
dmagdael@dmagpr.com
Print Source
Alexandra Bowen
The Kennedy/Marshall Company
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: 310 656 8400
abowen@kennedymarshall.com