Live Aid at 40 – When Rock'N'Roll Took on the World

On 23 October 1984, a BBC News report on the widespread famine in Ethiopia shocked British audiences. Journalist Michael Buerk’s coverage of what was unfolding across the country was seen by Bob Geldof, who felt that he needed to do more than watch the devastation on his TV. Along with Ultravox frontman Midge Ure, Geldof sought to galvanize the musicians he knew into action. The result was the 1984 Christmas single Do They Know It＇s Christmas, followed some six months later by Live Aid. This four-part film charts what took place, with the first part screening at DocFest focussing on that initial report and the response to it. A fascinating account of recent history, it is also an incisive portrait of a movement intended to incite rapid, life-saving change.