While screening the documentary “Sly Lives!,” producer Joseph Patel told Variety’s senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson that the filmmakers were not sure if their subject, Sly Stone, would still be alive to witness a film centered around his career and success. He died on June 9 at 82 years old, four months after the doc was released.
“We didn’t know if he would still be alive by the time we finished the film. We just didn’t know his health,” said Patel. “When we first got word that he saw the finished film in December of last year, it meant a lot. This is the first screening we’ve done since he passed, and it just hits different.” Patel revealed that at Stone’s funeral, he learned that the musician loved the documentary.
“I was introduced as the documentary filmmaker, and [found out] that he watched it all the time. It just really moved me. One of the points of the movie is just these artists that have given us so much to show them a lot of grace,” added Patel.
“Sly Lives!” follows the legacy of Sly and The Family Stone as they began their career in 1966, becoming influential figures in combining psychedelic rock, R&B, gospel and funk throughout their discography. While going through archival footage, exclusive interviews and the band’s original recordings, director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson explained that he wanted to create a film that celebrated Stone’s life before his death.
“Gaining someone’s trust is important, and I know that long after we’re gone, that this [film] is going to be here forever. I think it’s important for all the stories that we tell, especially living at a time in which erasure of history is real,” said Thompson. “My first goal was to reach people in that way because artistry is a place where you can just get lost inside your head and spin out of control and then evaporate.”
“It’s the first time that I’ve watched it and been at a screening since he passed away,” said Novena Carmel, Stone’s daughter and one of the film’s subjects. “I’m really happy that it exists, and that Sly lives through the documentary. It feels like everything has been happening in a really good timeline, even though some people are not here anymore. It is just nice that he was able to see it.”
Watch the video above.