Doclands: SHAKING IT UP: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF LIZ CARPENTER

Directors ABBY GINZBERG, CHRISTY CARPENTER (US 2024) 78 min

Pioneering Texan journalist and influential feminist leader Liz Carpenter takes center stage in this documentary co-directed by her daughter Christy Carpenter and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Abby Ginzberg. Carpenter’s journalistic career began during World War II, when she covered political events and rose to prominence in Washington, D.C. Her enduring relationships with leaders including Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson left a significant impact on political narratives; it was Carpenter who wrote Johnson’s public remarks after the JFK assassination. Beyond the White House she remained active, writing a bestselling book and championing the Women’s Movement. Carpenter’s larger-than-life personality, optimism, and undeniable wit shine through in captivating archival footage and interviews; as Shaking It Up makes clear, she was a force of history.