ABOUT THE FILM

NEWPORT & THE GREAT FOLK DREAM

Before Coachella and Woodstock, there was Newport. From 1963 to 1966, the Newport Folk Festival catalyzed America's youth, creating a forum for the protest song to grow, for a generation to find its voice, for Bob Dylan to evolve from political balladeer to leather-jacketed rock n' roller. Newport & the Great Folk Dream is an immersion into these years, told by those who were there—including Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, the Freedom Singers.

Like the festival itself, this film uses the draw of the stars to expose a thrilling range of American musical styles—Gullah Island gospel, stinging delta blues, ancient-sounding milling songs of Cape Breton—what Variety describes as "a broad and exquisitely chosen swath of the music" that conveys a society where democracy embraces diversity. From award-winning filmmakers Robert Gordon and Joe Lauro, and drawn entirely from rare and previously-unseen archival footage, Newport & the Great Folk Dream shows how music can illuminate struggle, inspire courage, and stir passionate controversy. 

Newport & The Great Folk Dream features musical performances with:

• Bob Dylan

• Johnny Cash

• Joan Baez

• Howlin’ Wolf

• Mississippi John Hurt

• The Lovin' Spoonful

• Fife and drum from Mississippi

• Milling song from Nova Scotia

• Axe chopping from a Texas chain gang

• And more….