Dylan Nelson’s ‘Soundtrack for a Revolution’ to Air May 9 on PBS

“Soundtrack for a Revolution,” the documentary produced by Dylan Nelson, Colorado College’s artist-in-residence for film studies, will air on Monday, May 9 on PBS’s “American Experience.”

Poster for the documentary "Soundtrack for a Revolution"

The 82-minute documentary is the story of the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, told through the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in meetings and in jails. As current singers perform songs from the era, interviews and archival footage evoke the movement’s emotional history.

A companion to the PBS history series, “American Experience” includes features on a range of people and events in American history. Praised as the finest documentary series on television, “American Experience” brings to life the compelling stories from the past that inform our understanding of the world today.

In addition to the documentary’s debut on “American Experience,” Nelson, along with the directors, will present the film at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday, May 11, at its contemporary documentaries series. The program is a showcase for feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the Academy Award nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year.

Nelson, along with her husband, Clay Haskell, teach a variety of filmmaking classes, as well as the popular off-campus class, “On Location: Hollywood.”

Bryan Rommel-Ruiz Publishes “American History Goes to the Movies”

Associate Professor of History Bryan Rommel-Ruiz has a new book out, titled “American History Goes to the Movies: Hollywood and the American Experience.” The research and writing for the book evolved from the film and history class that he teaches at Colorado College. Using films from many different genres, the book draws together movies that depict the Civil War, the Wild West, the assassination of JFK, and the events of 9/11, to show how viewers use movies to make sense of the past. “American History Goes to the Movies” addresses not only how we render history for popular enjoyment, but also how Hollywood’s renderings of America influence the way Americans see themselves and how they make sense of the world.