Synopsis

The oldest jazz band in the world has been performing every evening at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai for 30 years. Most members of the band, all jazz musicians of first rank, are over 80 years old. Peace Hotel Old Jazz Band will embark on its greatest adventure and their appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival Rotterdam. With great jazz hymns in the backdrop, the film will chart the fascinating life stories of seven exceptional musicians set in diverse stages from the Japanese occupation and the Cultural Revolution right up to today’s turbo-planned economy. With humour, wisdom and a tale or two being spun on the way, the men in black suits will lead us on a tour of their daily lives in one of the world’s most modern cities and show us how good old jazz has given them the strength to weather the storms of time.

Director

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  • Uli Gaulke
  • Uli Gaulke studied film at the Free University of Berlin and worked as a projectionist in several cinemas, including the Arsenal Theater in Berlin. A musician who played trumpet in several bands, his first documentary, "My Love Havana," won the Best Documentary ‘Lola’ Award at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival, and his film "Comrades in Dreams" (2006) was invited to compete at both the Berlin Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.