Noted filmmaker and Indigenous educator Tim Johnson will visit Wells College later this month for a screening and discussion of his Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary, “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World.”
The event — which will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, in Zabriskie Hall 106 at Wells College — is free and open to the public. Johnson will introduce the work as well as engage in a post-film Q&A.
“Rumble” (Facebook / Twitter) is a feature-length documentary examining the enormous and enduring impact of Native Americans on popular music history. The film reveals the Native American roots of early jazz and blues pioneers, and how — despite repeated attempts to censor and erase Indian culture from the face of popular culture — musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Link Wray, Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Jesse Ed Davis and Buffy Sainte-Marie pushed the boundaries of rock ‘n roll forward. Their stories are recounted in the film by several prominent individuals who collaborated with and were inspired by these historical figures, including musicians and luminaries such as Martin Scorsese, Quincy Jones, George Clinton, Steven Van Zandt, Steven Tyler, Taj Mahal, Iggy Pop, Robbie Robertson and many more.
In addition to his work as a filmmaker and indigenous educator, Tim Johnson is a seasoned museum and arts executive, serving from 2006 to 2015 as the associate director for museum programs at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C. During his tenure at the NMAI, he helped produce numerous critically acclaimed exhibits and programs.
This event is co-sponsored by the First Nations and Indigenous studies minor, the social and economic justice minor, and the sociology and anthropology department.
