CPW invites you to a free screening on Thursday, July 17th, of Shut Up & Sing + Q&A with the film's director Barbara Kopple.
Shut Up & Sing captures the fallout from Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines’ controversial 2003 remark criticizing President George W. Bush on the eve of the Iraq invasion. The quote was "Freedom of speech is fine, as long as you don't do it in public..." Directed by the iconic Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck, the film follows the band through the backlash—boycotts, media outrage, and even death threats—and their transformation from country music darlings to defiant outcasts. Rather than crafting a hagiography, the filmmakers present an intimate, fly-on-the-wall look at the Chicks’ resilience, questioning, and ultimate creative evolution. A vivid portrait of free speech under fire, motherhood on tour, and the politics of patriotism, the film resonates today as both a cultural time capsule and a timeless reflection on dissent, identity, and artistic integrity.
"Masterfully edited, the film combines footage the band made for its website and footage shot by Kopple and Peck over the last two years. The filmmakers are clearly in awe of the Chicks' fighting spirit. If you think Maines's original Bush remark was disrespectful, wait till you hear what she calls him here. Maines is not ready to make nice, and neither is this riveting documentary." — David Ansen, Newsweek
