World Premiere! A charming celebration of a singular Southern musical tradition where everyone sings and everyone belongs. Followed by a musical workshop and performance.

Strangers gather in churches, community halls, and living rooms to do something remarkably simple: sing together. “Singing the Shapes” enters the world of Sacred Harp, a 180-year-old American musical tradition where there are no performers or audiences, only participants. Loud, raw, and without instruments, its four-part harmonies bring together people of radically different generations, beliefs, and backgrounds. The film explores the unique alchemy of this participatory music, where listening, learning, and contributing together turns dissonance and difference into harmony. -RLW

Director bio:

Timothy Morton is a filmmaker, gardener, and Sacred Harp singer from Louisville, Kentucky. He began filmmaking through a DIY film collective before starring in independent films including "Pilgrim Song" (SXSW) and "Men Go to Battle "(Tribeca). "Singing the Shapes" is his first feature documentary to premiere on the festival circuit.