Winner of the Jury and Audience awards for Best Documentary at the Fire Island Film & Video Festival, as well as an Emerging Filmmaker award at the 25th Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival for director and Determined Pictures’ very own Gene Graham, The Godfather of Disco is a feature length documentary based on one of disco legends Mel Cheren’s powerful autobiography – My Life and the Paradise Garage: Keep On Dancin’.

Through a series of interviews with a who’s who of the dance music community, Godfather uses the arc of Mel’s life to examine the early 70’s musical and cultural currents that gave birth to disco, his label West End Records’ contribution to that scene, the rise of Paradise Garage, the onslaught of HIV/AIDS and its impact on New York City.

​To date, Godfather has screened at over 35 film festivals worldwide.
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