Presented by Joseph Neff
Director: Robert Gordon
Starring: Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger
Premiere: Venice Film Festival 2025
Before Coachella and Woodstock, there was Newport. From 1963 to 1966, the Newport Folk Festival became the heartbeat of a generation — a place where protest songs ignited, voices found power and Bob Dylan transformed from political balladeer to leather-jacketed rock ’n’ roller. Newport & The Great Folk Dream plunges viewers into these electrifying years, told by those who lived them — Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Howlin’ Wolf, Mississippi John Hurt and The Lovin’ Spoonful. The film celebrates a thrilling mix of American music: gospel, Delta blues, fife and drum, and even axe-chopping rhythms from a Texas chain gang. Drawn entirely from rare and previously unseen archival footage, award-winning filmmakers Robert Gordon and Joe Lauro show how music can inspire courage, spark change and unite generations.
NEWPORT AND THE GREAT FOLK DREAM is nominated for the following Lost Weekend awards:
Best Story
Best Soundtrack or Score