In the early 2000s, the Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks) reached new career heights, topping the country music charts, winning multiple Grammy Awards, and smashing commercial records left and right. However, during their 2003 Top of the World Tour, a single political remark by lead vocalist Natalie Maines denouncing the war in Iraq and then-President George W. Bush sparked fierce backlash from conservative groups. The fallout was swift and severe: the group was blacklisted by the country music industry, faced death threats, and saw their songs disappear from radio airwaves and the Billboard charts, sparking a larger national debate over free speech and political expression. Shut Up & Sing (2006), directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck, captures this firestorm of political and cultural panic. The documentary follows the band over three turbulent years of public outrage and scrutiny, all fueled by a wave of reactionary nationalism at the height of the Bush administration. Through remarkable behind-the-scenes footage and candid interviews, the film offers a vital portrait of artists who refused to be silenced in the wake of widespread political panic.

Directors Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck will join moderator Chelsea Kai Roesch (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Shut Up & Sing.