Films We Like has acquired Canadian rights to Mary Wharton’s Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, selected as the opening night film of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.
Jimmy Carter’s lifelong passion for music gave him an unexpected edge as a presidential candidate: through folk, soul, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll, Carter tapped into a force that transcended racial and generational divides, and often party lines. And after the disillusionment of the Watergate era, the musicians sensed that Carter wasn’t faking it; the likes of Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers, and Willie Nelson even forged friendships.
A “rockumentary-style presidential portrait” (Indiewire) Wharton’s documentary combines rare archival footage with era-defining live performances, including Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock. Wharton traces how Carter’s genuine approachability became key to his political appeal, and allowed him to connect with voters who may only have known him as a small-town peanut farmer.
Download press kit and trailer!
About Films We Like
Founded by award-winning documentary filmmaker Ron Mann (Grass, Comic Book Confidential, Carmine Street Guitars) Films We Like is a boutique distributor of documentary, independent, and international films in Canada. Recent releases include What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael, The Grey Fox, and Made in Bangladesh.