Truth to Power

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Truth to Power

Released Feb 19, 2021

1h 19m

Documentary

Music

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83%

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12 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Millions fill stadiums across the world for the sound of Serj Tankian, the Grammy-winning lead singer of System Of A Down. With exclusive interviews, adventures, and original footage personally filmed by Serj, TRUTH TO POWER allows audiences backstage access to an international rock star whose faith in music not only revolutionized heavy metal, but also world events. Throughout his life, the musician has pursued social justice, harnessing the power of his songs and celebrity for real political change. Serj's voice is equally likely to take on American corporate greed as lambast the corrupt regime of his homeland. His decades-long campaign for formal U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide was finally approved by Congress last year. Governments hate him. People love him. Set to the propulsions of an original soundtrack composed by Serj, his critically acclaimed solo work, as well as the iconic music of System Of A Down, TRUTH TO POWER is also an artist portrait with a revealing look at the musician as he writes music--from inception to recording--and pursues ambitions outside of the band. It includes memories from legendary producer Rick Rubin on System Of A Down's early years and its unlikely breakthrough, the bandmates' candid insights about the splinters and highpoints for the group, and stories from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello on his bond with Serj as social justice advocates and their "Axis of Justice" nonprofit.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

This explosive, much-needed call to action against corrupt politics and global inaction couldn't be more timely.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 25, 2021

Full Review

Kory Grow

Rolling Stone

The film is well-paced, tightly edited and engaging, and at times, it's quite inspiring.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 19, 2021

Full Review

Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

Hovannisian's documentary would be much more convincing if he picked a single aspect of Tankian's activism -- or composing, or personality -- and considered it in greater detail.

Rated: 1/4

Feb 19, 2021

Full Review

Alex Flood

NME (New Musical Express)

Sure he's a little older, a little plumper and a lot greyer, but the star of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power is as magnetic as ever and the film revolves around him.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 30, 2021

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

The former feels at first like a pat rock doc, a chronicle of the band's origins and Tankian's journey into metal. It becomes something bigger as Tankian begins to use his world stage to call out the Turks' 1915-1917 genocide of Armenians...

Feb 27, 2021

Full Review

Brad Keefe

Columbus Alive

"Truth To Power" is very Serj-focused and sidesteps band drama considerably, but it's an amazing documentary for fans and activists who couldn't care less about band drama.

Feb 24, 2021

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Audience Member

Tankian tells about his past, but only superficially (don watch expecting to hear all about his past and of the band). The focus of the doc is really the velvet revolution of Armenia and how he was involved. Like he said in other interviews: he is a activist first and an artist second, and the movie shows that. But that's not to say that he doesn't show his artistic side. He talks about SOAD, his recording process, his paintings... Only part of System of Down makes an appearance, except for Daron, that can be justified with the last few years drama. But besides all that is an absolute must see to have an inside look on how Serj Tankian works and what are his motivations. It is a really beautiful movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Truth To Power is a powerful documentary film by System Of A Down's very own Serj Tankian. It walks you through the birth of the nu-metal band, lightly touches on their ups and downs, and dives deep into Serj's relentless journey to change the world. I have been a fan of System of a Down since 2000 when I was just a Jr. High kid who wanted to listen to a new band that would immediately change my life. Their music has always been inspiring to me and was the soundtrack of my youth. This documentary film shows that music can change the world. I got goosebumps listening to Serj discussing his life and giving us a rare look into his journey from childhood to the present day. I loved learning many random facts about Serj, such as that the poems that he wrote before his music career would later become lyrics to many of his songs. His words have always been beautiful, powerful, and thought-provoking. His life mission to rectify injustice is the soul of this film. The fight to get Armenia's genocide recognized is incorporated throughout the documentary, as is the backbone of the Serj's identity and System Of A Down's purpose. Truth To Power is pieced together nicely and well-paced as it is, engaging and inspiring. You will easily walk away from this film with more knowledge and great respect for Serj. I give Truth To Power a 9 out of 10. It is a rare look into Serj Tankian's life that fans and activists will appreciate. You will also get a better understanding of the suffering that the people of Armenia have experienced.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

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Garin Hovannisian

Director

Serj Tankian

Self

Garin Hovannisian

Writer

Garin Hovannisian

Producer

Joe Berlinger

Executive Producer

Ryan Kroft

Executive Producer

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Truth to Power: Trailer 1

2:26

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Synopsis

Millions fill stadiums across the world for the sound of Serj Tankian, the Grammy-winning lead singer of System Of A Down. With exclusive interviews, adventures, and original footage personally filmed by Serj, TRUTH TO POWER allows audiences backstage access to an international rock star whose faith in music not only revolutionized heavy metal, but also world events. Throughout his life, the musician has pursued social justice, harnessing the power of his songs and celebrity for real political change. Serj's voice is equally likely to take on American corporate greed as lambast the corrupt regime of his homeland. His decades-long campaign for formal U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide was finally approved by Congress last year. Governments hate him. People love him. Set to the propulsions of an original soundtrack composed by Serj, his critically acclaimed solo work, as well as the iconic music of System Of A Down, TRUTH TO POWER is also an artist portrait with a revealing look at the musician as he writes music--from inception to recording--and pursues ambitions outside of the band. It includes memories from legendary producer Rick Rubin on System Of A Down's early years and its unlikely breakthrough, the bandmates' candid insights about the splinters and highpoints for the group, and stories from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello on his bond with Serj as social justice advocates and their "Axis of Justice" nonprofit.

Director: Garin Hovannisian
Producer: Garin Hovannisian, Serj Tankian
Screenwriter: Garin Hovannisian
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 19, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2021
Runtime: 1h 19m

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