Documentary Screening of "Shaking It Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter" & Panel Discussion
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Oct 15 2024
WHEN:
Oct 15, 2024 at 5:30pm
WHERE:
Fourth Estate Room
CONTACT INFO:
Madison Siciliano
MORE INFO:
This event is open only to NPC Members & their guests
Join us for a screening of the highly acclaimed documentary, Shaking it Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter, on October 15th at 5:30 PM in the Fourth Estate Room.
This film tells the story of an extraordinary woman -- Liz Carpenter -- who experienced and helped shape some of the most vivid moments and movements of the 20th century. Journalist, vice-presidential advisor, White House official, author, humorist, political activist, and feminist leader: Over her 89 years, Liz was often front and center where history was unfolding leaving her own indelible mark on events and people. Hers is an inspiring story of blazing professional trails while pushing forward an agenda for women’s rights, the environment, and political engagement that is highly relevant today.
With interviews from journalists such as Bill Moyers and Dan Rather, along with Lynda Johnson Robb, Luci Johnson, and Gloria Steinem, Shaking it Up is designed to educate and inspire viewers, especially the next generation of changemakers, to continue to “shake things up” in the ongoing battle for equal rights and human progress.
The film had its world premiere at South By Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, where it received rave reviews and a standing ovation. Shaking it Up also received the Best Documentary Award from the Hill Country Film Festival and will be featured by the Virginia Film Festival (in Charlottesville) in early November.
Christy Carpenter, co-producer/co-director of the film, and Don Ritchie, Washington press corps historical expert, will speak following the documentary to provide further insights on the life of Liz Carpenter.
Shaking It Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter
Comments from Film Journalists
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN / Michael Barnes
“It is one thing to read about Texas icon Liz Carpenter. It is another thing altogether to watch her in glorious action, bursting onto the national scene as pioneer woman journalist during the 1940s; working as a key aide to Lady Bird Johnson, and before that, Lyndon Baines Johnson in the 1960s; leading the fight across the country for women's rights in the 1970s and beyond. After all that, settling down, not quietly, but joyously, back in Austin, throwing parties, singing songs, howling at the moon, and, as always, getting things done. That's a part of what we see and hear thanks to the new 77-minute documentary, Shaking It Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter, co-produced and co-directed by her daughter, Christy Carpenter, along with veteran filmmaker Abby Ginzberg.”
HOUSTON CHRONICLE / Chris Vognar
"Texas trailblazer, liberal icon Liz Carpenter gets her flowers in new documentary: Shaking It Up is a generous and very sympathetic introduction to a 20th-century political figure who deserves to be known outside of Texas and Washington…” “…it hits a documentary sweet spot, highlighting a fascinating subject recognized by some but certainly not by all.”
OVERLY HONEST MOVIE REVIEWS / Chris Jones
“This documentary is a powerful tribute to the enduring impact of one woman's resolve to make the world more equitable, offering invaluable insights for anyone at the crossroads of history, politics, and women's advocacy.”
CHRON / Chris Vognar
“Directed by Carpenter’s daughter, Christy Carpenter, and Abby Ginzberg, the film provides a snapshot of a woman in perpetual motion whose presence made the corridors of power bend to her will, not the other way around.” “It is a love letter—the subject’s daughter, after all, is one of the directors, and an on-camera interview subject—but a smart and sincere one…”
CULTURE VULTURE / Andrew Osborne
“While the historical-clips-plus-talking-heads style of this documentary may be conventional, its subject was anything but: namely FLOTUS Lady Bird Johnson’s indomitable press secretary, Mary Elizabeth Sutherland Carpenter, better known as Liz…”
THE CURVY FILM CRITIC / Carla Renata
“Carpenters’s life isn’t just a life of accomplishment, but one filled with the energy of one that’s been well-lived. Her enduring legacy carries on in times where her example is more needed than ever in American journalism.”
THE DAILY TEXAN / Flora Farr
“Christy Carpenter’s loving storytelling about her mother reinforces the lessons that can be taken from her mother’s career — making a difference can be made easier with flair and a bit of Austin’s weirdness.”
AUSTIN WOMAN / Deborah Hamilton-Lynne
"There are many lessons shared in Shaking It Up, insights for young and old. How to make yourself indispensable by managing many tasks, how to be persistent and determined especially if you believe your cause is just, how to live as a truly inclusive visionary and how to do it all with grace and humor."