Do we need to see 33 people die tragically to realize that there are ways to prevent these kinds of massacres? Will it splinter the “new dems” to have this on the agenda? It’s always seemed obvious to me, that the minute you introduce firearms into a high intensity situation, it can become, well EXPLOSIVE, literally and figuratively. How many people in Iraq die each day, each week.
San’s pleading words of the day…
Grammies and Chicks with Conscience February 15, 2007
Barbara Koppel’s new film is about the controversial Dixie Chicks. I’m going to see this today. Barbara Koppel is absolutely prolific. Look for my upcoming posts in which I review her film “Bearing Witness,” which debuted at Full Frame two years ago.
- San, the one and only–la unica
CASE STUDY: The Dixie Chicks: Still Singing – Shut Up and Sing!
Thursday Feb. 15, 2007
NYWIFT welcomes producer and director Barbara Kopple, a two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker, who, along with co-director Cecilia Peck, takes the audience on the road, behind the scenes, into recording studio and into the homes of the Dixie Chicks – the biggest-selling female group in history–in the acclaimed documentary, The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing.
In 2003, as the U.S. readied for the Iraq invasion, an offhand remark at a London concert by a member of the Dixie Chicks sent the career of the biggest-selling female group in history into a downward spiral. The film chronicles their comeback amid death threats, political attacks and radio boycotts, ultimately showing their professional dedication and personal perseverance. It was picked up for worldwide distribution by The Weinstein Company and opened theatrically right before the November elections.
NYWIFT Muse Barbara Kopple is a two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker, with Harlan County USA, 1976, and American Dream, 1990, both taking home honors for Best Documentary Feature. In 1991, Harlan County USA was named to the National Film Registry by Congress and designated an American Film Classic. It was restored by the NYWIFT Women’s Preservation Fund and the Academy Film Archive in 2005.
Moderator Christina Kotlar has over 15 years experience in visual media as well as producing and writing credits. She wrote Aid Afghanistan which screened at the 2006 D.C. Film Festival. She founded and produces Film Festival reViews, a weekly podcast focusing on independent filmmaking and the film festival circuit worldwide.