On September 27, after seven years of production, the Vermont Movie Collaborative, based in Norwich, VT will release Freedom & Unity: The Vermont Movie, the first film series about the many voices, cultural and political traditions that give the Green Mountain State its bold, iconoclastic spirit and democratic values, and the first collaborative film ever made about a state.
The six-part film, a collaboration of three dozen critically acclaimed Vermont filmmakers and historians, is led by award-winning filmmaker Nora Jacobson. Their sponsors include the Vermont Arts Council, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Humanities Council, Bay and Paul Foundation, John M. Bissell Foundation, Green Valley Media, National Life of Vermont Foundation, and the Vermont Country Store.
What is it about Vermont?
From 1777 to the present, Vermont has been a beacon, a haven, a refuge, an idea, a symbol, a state shaped by independent and courageous decision-makers, thinkers, political leaders, workers, artists, immigrants and innovators. It was the first state to outlaw slavery, to allow same sex civil unions, to call for the impeachment of President Nixon, and to protect the environment with Act 250. This is a state in which conservatives and liberals are not only neighbors’they frequently depend on each other for survival. And yet, as we see in town meetings and legislative debates, the pursuit of freedom has, on occasion, threatened the state’s unity.
‘A state has boundaries, a central government, state laws. These factors give it unity. My challenge, as editor of the diverse pieces, was to find the common thread in all our stories, the thread that made this not only a Vermont story, but a universal story as well.’
‘Nora Jacobson, director, The Vermont Movie
‘...a novel approach to dealing with the early chapters of Vermont’s history and looking at some of the crucial geopolitical events through the social history of the non-white population ...bold and very interesting.’
‘ Michael Sherman, historian and author of Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont.
Screenings begin September 27 at the Barre Opera House. The Vermont Movie Barnstorming Tour (9/29 to 12/04/2013) features screenings in 11 Vermont counties. To find a screening in your area, go to www.thevermontmovie.com; click on Screenings, and download the tour schedule. All screenings will include Q&A sessions with Vermont Movie filmmakers and others.
‘The Vermont Movie preserves a compendium of oral and visual recollections that will be of value well into the future.’ ‘ Gregory Sanford, Vermont State Archivist
‘...one of the most entertaining, thought-provoking and just plain terrific pieces of cinema history ever created...’ ‘ Ken Eisen, co-founder, Maine International Film Festival
For more information, to view our trailer, and bios of filmmakers and advisors, visit www.thevermontmovie.com
Freedom & Unity: The Vermont Movie, one state many visions
Submitted by tim
on