BT-01. Newport & The Great Folk Dream - A Film by Robert Gordon & Joe Lauro

US, Feature Documentary, 2025, 99 min

A Rapturous Documentary! Variety

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.

Directed by Robert Gordon

Colorado Premiere