For the University of Southern California’s reigning a cappella group the SoCal VoCals, it isn’t enough to just be pitch perfect. In the official trailer for the documentary Just Sing, directors Angelique Molina and Abraham Troe follow the group as they balance pressure and passion ahead of their final pre-graduation test at New York’s International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. The documentary will premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2025 on June 6.
“One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding a cappella is that it’s kind of Glee-esque, but it’s so much more than that,” one student said in the clip. Another added: “I think when I realized there was a whole group of people that, like, that was their nerd, I was like, ‘Those are my people.’”
There was an explosive moment in a cappella that followed the release of Pitch Perfect in 2012. It brought an element of cool to these competitions, but didn’t diminish what it meant to the people competing. More than 600 groups and 12,000 students compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, often referred to as the “Super Bowl of song.” “It has the potential to really transform someone’s life,” one student said.
“For two years, we were immersed in the lives of our protagonists, embedded not only in the world of the SoCal VoCals but also within the broader realm of collegiate a cappella,” Molina and Troe shared in a statement via FilmFreeway. “What might have seemed like a typical narrative of a prestigious a cappella group striving for a highly coveted trophy instead unfolded into a deeply personal exploration of young people navigating universal themes of identity, belonging, and self-expression. Through their shared passion for music, each member embarks on their own journey of self-discovery, ultimately finding and defining their own voice.”
In the trailer, the SoCal VoCals can be heard running through Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” and Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Elsewhere in the film, the group performs tracks from Adele, Beyonce, Rosalía, Jon Batiste, Diana Ross, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift.
Just Sing was produced by Sarah Thomson and John Battsek. The 2025 Tribeca Film Festival takes place June 4 to 15 in New York City.
