On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom | |
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Directed by | Eric Simonson |
Produced by | Leelai Demoz [1] Eric Simonson |
Edited by | Tina Imahara |
Distributed by | HBO (TV) [2] California Newsreel (home video) |
Release date |
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Running time | 58 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom, also called On Tiptoe: The Music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a 2000 American short documentary film directed by Eric Simonson. It tells the story of South African singers Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. [3]
Year | Award | Category | Result |
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2000 | 73rd Academy Awards | Best Documentary Short Subject | Nominated |
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They became known internationally after singing with American Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland. They have since won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards the fifth of which they dedicated to the late former South African President Nelson Mandela.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and first recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube", through South African Gallo Record Company. Lyrics of Linda's original version were written in Zulu, while those of the English one were later written by George David Weiss.
The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
Mshengu White Mambazo is a South African choral group consisting of the sons of Ladysmith Black Mambazo leader Joseph Shabalala, with his eldest son Nkosinathi leading the group. They sing in the traditional style of isicathamiya, like their parents in the above group. Formed in 1976 by Joseph and his late wife Nellie, the group came to local prominence in 1987, when they recorded a full album that October.
Bhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
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Eric Simonson is an American writer and director in theatre, film and opera. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and the author of plays Lombardi, Fake, Honest, Magic/Bird and Bronx Bombers. He won the 2005 Academy Award for his short documentary A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 1993 for The Song of Jacob Zulu.
The Stairs is a 1950 American short documentary film. It focuses on a woman in her sixties who retires and goes to live with her daughter.
Rembrandt: A Self-Portrait is a 1954 American short documentary film about the artist Rembrandt produced by Morrie Roizman, a former editor for The March of Time. This film shows a series of Rembrandt's artwork, including painting and drawings spanning his entire life and being shown as related of events throughout his life are narrated.
The Road to the Wall is a 1962 American short documentary film produced by Robert Saudek about the construction of the Berlin Wall. It aired as an episode of the United States Army's television show, The Big Picture. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
Overture is a 1965 Hungarian short documentary film written by János Vadász. It won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
Four Stones for Kanemitsu is a 1973 American short documentary film, written and produced by June Wayne and filmed by Terry Sanders. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. The film is educational and records in details each of the steps in making of a color lithograph by artist, Matsumi Kanemitsu.
"Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the fourth single from his seventh studio album, Graceland (1986), released on Warner Bros. Records. The song features guest vocals from the South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
"Homeless" is a 1986 song by Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo lead singer Joseph Shabalala.
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Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years is the home video version of Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration, a special aired on PBS during their pledge drive on March 6, 1994, that commemorates Sesame Street’s 25th anniversary in 1994. This program was originally released on October 29, 1993, under the title Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration!25 Wonderful Years focused on celebrity segments, many coming from segments filmed for the show's upcoming 25th season, of artists such as En Vogue and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Journey of Dreams is an album by the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, released in 1988. Journey of Dreams also served as the title of a film about frontman Joseph Shabalala, directed by David Lister and shot around the same time. Shabalala chose the title in part to describe his journey from his birthplace of Ladysmith to international success. It also refers to his desire to get the sound he heard in his dreams on to record. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Folk Recording". The group supported it with North American tour.