Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down
The heavily wounded congresswoman Gabby Giffords is fighting for a return to normal life while challenging the NRA and other radical defenders of gun rights. A poignant documentary about the crime, its victims and the hope that modern America can still be changed.
“Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” begins with the former Arizona representative placing flowers in memorial vases for victims of gun violence. With a voiceover rife with potent pauses, her cadence sounds for a moment like a spoken word poem. While her rhythm is indeed intentional and meaningful, it’s not out of a sense of artistry. Instead, it’s a sign of the aphasia Giffords has wrestled with since a bullet ripped through her brain on Jan. 8, 2011. A gunman obsessed with the congressperson attempted to assassinate her as she was greeting constituents at a Tucson supermarket. Giffords and 12 others survived the mass shooting, but six people did not, including civics-interested Christina-Taylor Green, 9, and federal judge John Roll.
Julie Cohen, Betsy West
Julie Cohen is the Academy Award nominated, Emmy winning director and producer of RBG (2018) along with Betsy West. Also with West, she directed Julia (2021) and My Name is Pauli Murray (2021). Previous films include The Sturgeon Queens, American Veteran and I Live to Sing. Before making documentaries, Julie was a producer for NBC News. As a producer at ABC News, Betsy West won 21 Emmy Awards. She is the Fred W. Friendly Professor Emerita at Columbia Journalism School.
Filmography
2018 RBG (doc.)
2021 My Name Is Pauli Murray (doc.)
2021 Julia (doc.)
2022 Niezniszczalna Gabby Giffords / Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down (doc.)
Cast & Crew
