River City Drumbeat

For 30 years, Edward “Nardie” White has devoted his life to the River City Drum Corp Cultural Arts Institute, a nonprofit he founded to serve at-risk children in his West End neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Now, with retirement approaching, he must train his successor, Albert Shumake, who himself benefitted from the group since he was a kid, to lead the expanding organization.

Marlon Johnson and Anne Flatté’s vérité-style documentary follows this creative community of mentors, parents, and young people and shows us how music can connect people in unexpected ways—and inspire a little friendly competition in the form of rousing, high-energy drum battles. (95 mins., digital video) Closed captioning available.