The Midcoast Villager, Points North Institute, The Strand Theatre, and the Lesher Family Foundation are pleased to present a special screening of the documentary film Bad Press. The film screening and post-film discussions will focus on the stakes of government censorship of the news.
An enthralling, vérité political thriller, BAD PRESS is a rollercoaster documentary with a razor-sharp wit. When the Muscogee Nation government abruptly repeals its landmark Free Press Act to muzzle the tribe’s hard-hitting news outlet, defiant and wisecracking journalist Angel Ellis charges headfirst into a historic battle to restore her tribe’s press freedoms. Directed by tribal journalist-turned-filmmaker Rebecca Landsberry-Baker (Muscogee Creek) and award-winning editor Joe Peeler, BAD PRESS won the 2023 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression.
“This film shows what happens when elected officials go to extreme lengths to maintain their power by stifling free reporting,” says Drew Himmelstein, community engagement editor for the Midcoast Villager. “And it’s a great, suspenseful movie that sparks fascinating conversations about journalism, elected representatives, and the limits of power.”
2023 | U.S | English & Mvskoke | 98 minutes
Directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker (Muscogee Creek) and Joe Peeler
After the film, join Angel Ellis, director Joe Peeler and Villager Publisher Aaron Britt to discuss what we can learn from this timely story about a lone journalist fighting a corrupt system for her fellow citizens. A reception hosted by the Lesher Family Foundation will follow.
