Join NYWIFT for a virtual screening of Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down starting Friday, December 2nd through Monday, December 5th. Followed by a virtual conversation with directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West on December 5th.
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down tells the extraordinary story of former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords: her relentless fight to recover following an assassination attempt in 2011, and her new life as one of the most effective activists in the battle against gun violence. Featuring extensive verite filming of Gabby and her husband, astronaut-turned-Senator Mark Kelly; interviews with Barack Obama and other friends and colleagues; and exclusive access to stunning videos taken in the weeks following her near-death, this film is the story of a rising star transformed by gun violence, and a close-up portrait of the marriage that sustains her.
Screening Dates: Film available from Friday, December 2nd through Monday, December 5th. (Link will be provided in confirmation email)
Q&A Date: Monday, December 5, 2022
Time: 4pm ET
Location: Virtual (Zoom link will be included in confirmation email after registering)
Price: NYWIFT Members: $5 / Non-Members: $7
Panelists
Directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West are Academy Award-nominated, Emmy winning filmmakers who directed and produced the theatrical documentary RBG. Their film Julia was released theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics in 2021 and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. My Name is Pauli Murray premiered last year at the Sundance Film Festival and was released by Amazon Studios. They are thrilled to be premiering their latest documentary, Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, at the SXSW Film Festival.
Before they began their filmmaking partnership in 2015, Betsy and Julie both had careers in broadcast journalism and independent documentaries. Julie was a producer at Court TV and Dateline NBC and directed The Sturgeon Queens (Berlinale 2015) and I Live to Sing (PBS; New York Emmy for Best Arts Program) among others. Betsy was a network television news producer and executive, first at ABC where she won 21 Emmy Awards, and then at CBS where she was the executive in charge of 60 Minutes. She is the Fred W Friendly Professor Emerita at Columbia Journalism School.
Christina Kiely (Moderator) has been producing and directing documentaries for over 23 years. Most recently she wrote and produced ABC News’ first digital documentary series, A Murder On Orchard Street. Kiely also co-produced the accompanying podcast to the seven-part series. In 2004 she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the ABC News documentary series NYPD 24/7. While at ABC she also produced for the series In the Jury Room and the weekly news magazine Primetime Mondays. Outside of ABC, Christina has produced and directed numerous programs, including the A&E Biography of Yo-Yo Ma, 12 hours of the TLC series Code Blue, the PBS weekly news magazine Rights & Wrongs: Human Rights Television, as well as various documentaries for the International Labor Organization of the United Nations, including a co-production on migrant farm workers with the PBS series NOW. She recently directed a PSA for Rebuilding Together NYC.
This program will take place virtually as a webinar via Zoom. Please register in advance, and all registrants will receive a link to attend the webinar the day of the event.
We encourage you to download and create a Zoom account in advance.
programs@nywift.org
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NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.