Screening times:
Thursday, November 13, 6:30 PM
Wednesday, November 19, 6:30 PM

Ido Fluk | Germany, Poland, Belgium | 2025 | 112m
German with English subtitles

Jazz legend's Keith Jarrett’s groundbreaking performance in January 1975 nearly didn’t happen.

Based on a true story, Köln 75 follows how the concert was conceived and orchestrated by the efforts of a teenage up-and-coming concert promoter, Vera Brandes, played by German actress Mala Emde. Her enthusiasm set her to multitasking, from organizing the concert venue (the Cologne Opera House), promoting the event, and selling the tickets, to convincing Jarrett to perform — he almost dropped out when the Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano he was promised was nowhere to be found.

John Magaro plays Jarrett with his own dour intensity, a sublime counterpoint to Mala Emde’s joyful portrayal of the enthusiastic and unstoppable Vera. Director Ido Fluk captures both the cultural pulse of 1970s Europe and the intimate, high-stakes tension behind a concert that almost didn’t happen. The film is a tribute to youthful audacity, artistic brilliance, and the transformative power of music.

Köln 75 captures the compelling, entertaining and, until now, unknown backstory of Jarrett’s one-hour, entirely improvised concert, which became the best-selling solo album in jazz history.

"Part of what makes Köln 75 a worthwhile watch is how it diverts from the expectations one might have for a movie that documents an important event in music history." - Joseph Neff, Spectrum Culture

"The saving grace of Köln 75 is that Jarrett isn’t really its subject. Nor is he Fluk’s protagonist. Instead, an irrepressible 18-year-old girl named Vera Brandes embodies both of those things, and the story here ultimately belongs to her." - David Ehrlich, IndieWire

"A vivid vehicle for a dynamic, often very funny Emde who, at 28, is convincing as a wide-eyed, sharp-mouthed teenage force of nature." - Jonathan Romney, Screen International

Tickets $12 ($11.40 cash at the door if available)