Austin Film Festival 2006

Shut up and Sing travels with the Dixie Chicks from the peak of their popularity as the national-anthem-singing darlings of country music and top-selling female recording artists of all time through the now-infamous anti-Bush comment made by the group’s lead singer, Natalie Maines, in 2003. The film follows the lives and careers of the Dixie Chicks over a period of three years, during which they were under political attack and received death threats while continuing to live their lives, have children, and of course, make music. The film ultimately presents who the Dixie Chicks are as women, public figures, and musicians.

Q&A with directors Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck to follow.