Oscar-nominated “RBG” filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen have found a home for their latest documentary. “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down,” which chronicles the titular congresswoman’s journey to recovery after surviving a mass shooting as well as her gun control advocacy work, has landed at Briarcliff Entertainment. According to Deadline, the distributor acquired the North American rights to the film and has scheduled a July 15 nationwide release. CNN Films will also air the doc later in the year.
Considered an awards contender, “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” premiered at SXSW last month. West and Cohen described the doc as “a film about one of the most spectacular human beings you will ever come across.” They continued, “Her whole life, Gabby Giffords has been a font of energy, smarts, toughness, and charisma. After a 2011 assassination attempt, while she was a young congresswoman, Gabby deployed those traits and more to relearn to walk and talk, and ultimately to start her own organization to reduce gun violence.”
“Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” features commentary from interviewees including Barack Obama and videos of Giffords taken shortly after the shooting. Cohen and West executive produce with CNN Films’ Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton, and Lisa Erspamer produces.
Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg called “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” “a motion picture for the ages” in a statement. “Gabby Giffords’ story is one that needs to be seen by as many people as possible and we are honored to be partnering with the filmmakers, CNN, and Time Studios in bringing it to audiences everywhere,” he said.
Cohen and West, who also count docs about celebrity chef Julia Child and civil rights pioneer Pauli Murray among their credits, added, “[Giffords] is the hardworking, dragon-slaying, 80’s hits-singing, recumbent bike-riding hero we all need right now. We can’t wait for audiences to fall in love with her as much as we have.”
West and Cohen received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary for “RBG.” They also received an Emmy and two Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg doc. Prior to their filmmaking collaboration, West and Cohen both worked in broadcast journalism and independent documentaries.
