# ‘Sounds of the Desert’ Explores Lives, Music and Cosmic Visions of Two Members of the Sun Ra Arkestra (Exclusive Tallinn Trailer)

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/sounds-of-the-desert-explores-lives-music-and-cosmic-visions-of-two-members-of-the-sun-ra-arkestra-exclusive-tallinn-trailer/
- Published: 2026-11-05T07:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T07:19:53+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tallinn-sounds-of-the-desert-doc-film-trailer-sun-ra-arkestra-1236744161/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film, Music

## Key points

- A documentary explores two Sun Ra Arkestra musicians and their cosmic visions.
- Marshall Allen is still performing at 102.
- The film premieres at Tallinn Black Nights on 18 November.

## Summary

A new documentary, Sounds of the Desert, follows Sun Ra Arkestra musicians Abshalom Ben Shlomo and Marshall Allen, exploring their lives, music and cosmic visions. It matters because the ensemble helped shape Afrofuturism, using music and imagination to envision outer space as a realm of Black freedom.

Written, directed and produced by Emilija Škarnulytė, the film combines interviews, archival footage and performances with journeys through places linked to the Arkestra, including Philadelphia, Chicago, Lithuania and the Negev Desert. It is due to premiere on 18 November at Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival; Ben Shlomo died in 2024, while Allen continues to perform at 102.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.