The civil rights struggle that has occupied most of Lewis' 77 years is facing a tidal wave of new challenges — or, at least, that's what many people fear. The values he embodies are more important than ever… recent events signal a new urgency to see this inspiring film portrait.
- Associated Press
Trump, as you may recall, tweeted that Lewis was “all talk, talk, talk — no action or results”… The documentary will show just how wrong Trump was in his tweet. Lewis has been all action, action, action.
- Boston Globe
There's a cool new documentary headed to PBS… the civil rights icon and Georgia congressman is finally getting the TV treatment he deserves
- Essence
Through a sweeping and at times non-linear style, Get In the Way gives the audience a sense of Lewis not so much as a biographical subject, but as Representative John Larson put it, an “experience seared into our collective memory.”
- Pop Matters
Early Light Productions and
present
John Lewis: Get in the Way
a film by Kathleen Dowdey
The first major documentary biography of civil rights hero,
congressional leader and champion for human rights whose unwavering fight for justice spans over fifty years.
PRESS
March 31, 2017
WSFA Montgomery AL: "The shootings of minorities by police officers, the Black Lives Matter Movement, the civil rights movement didn't end in the 1960's, it’s an ongoing movement and it’s still with us today.” Dan Puckett, Professor of History, Troy University.
March 06, 2017
The Baines Report: As many in the audience noted during the Q&A panel that followed, the lessons we can learn from John Lewis’ life are painfully relevant in today’s political climate.
February 07, 2017
Atlanta Magazine. Director Kathleen Dowdey: ”It was very clear right away that someone should be making a film about this guy”
FOR EDUCATORS
Universities, colleges, middle and high schools and libraries: Get in the Way is available for streaming and
on DVD. License includes Public Performance Rights.
Find classroom support at PBS LearningMedia. Download our Educational Guide here.
Lewis has been all action, action, action!
- The Boston Globe
A terrific biography!
- The Albany Times Union
John Lewis once again rises to the forefront.
- Fast Company
COMMUNITY SCREENINGS
Share Get in the Way! Organize an event, reach out to your members, invite speakers and engage with your communities. Find out about some of our hosts who have screened the film for advocacy, membership building, education and fundraising. Download our Discussion Guide here.
We were impressed with the community engagement and discussion that came out of Get in the Way. Patrons let us know how important it is to tell stories from leading voices in history.
- Zoe Del Mar, Communications Manager,
Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, MA
SELECT SCREENINGS
Sep 13, 2018
Featured screening in the Documentary Film Series at I-House. Here graduate students from around the world live and learn together, pursuing their personal professional goals at over 80 institutions of higher learning in the New York City area. Discussion with filmmaker Kathleen Dowdey, moderated by Sharon La Cruise, Vice President of Admissions, Programs & Resident Life at International House.
Mar 06, 2018
The panelists will be: David McGuire, Executive Director of ACLU of Connecticut; Bishop John Selders, minister, chaplain and leader of Moral Monday CT; and, Andre Williams, First Vice President NAACP Norwalk Branch.
Feb 05, 2018
Feb 03, 2018
An annual leadership conference in Troy became a celebration of Troy born Civil Rights icon John Lewis. “It’s unreal, it’s unbelievable. It brought me to tears when I saw the sign saying “John Lewis Day,” says Lewis.
Jan 23, 2018
FILMMAKERS
Kathleen Dowdey, Producer-Director
An award-winning filmmaker, Kathleen’s unique portrayal of documentary subjects is a refreshing fusion of personalized voice, layered observations and revelatory moments. She is a storyteller attracted to people deeply immersed in their cultures, driven by their history and thrust into change. Her exceptional artistry in Get in the Way has its roots in her early work, including A Celtic Trilogy, a documentary exploration of the renaissance of identity in the Celtic nations, Blue Heaven a narrative feature that exposes the hidden traumas of domestic violence and Dawn's Early Light, a portrait of newspaper editor Ralph McGill and his polarizing editorials in the South of the 1960s. As a writer, director and producer, Kathleen’s work is broadcast widely on network and cable televison. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Charles Floyd Johnson, Executive Producer
Three-time Emmy Award winner (and seven-time nominee), Charles’ credits include the landmark television series, The Rockford Files, Magnum PI and Quantum Leap. Currently he serves as Executive Producer of the CBS Television Studios' one-hour dramatic television series, NCIS. Charles produced the 2012 feature film, Red Tails with Executive Producer George Lucas. The story brought to life the incredible exploits of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and won the NAACP Image Award for Best Picture.
Donna Brown Guillaume, Consulting Producer
Donna is an Emmy-nominated television producer and director. She began her career in the Channel 2 Newsroom at KCBS, then moved to the Los Angeles Bureau of The CBS Evening News where she honed her skills as a journalist, unafraid of controversial material. Her documentaries have appeared on CBS News, PBS, and HBO, and she is a member of the Directors’ Guild of America, the National Association of Black Journalists, and BAD West (Black American Documentary Filmmakers). She now runs a program for the National Foster Youth Institute.
Lillian Benson, Editor
In her career as an editor, Lillian has contributed to films that have garnered five Emmy nominations, four Peabody Awards, and numerous other honors. In 1990, she received an Emmy nomination for the acclaimed PBS series, Eyes on the Prize. Additional documentary editing credits include: Beyond the Steps- Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Craft In America-Community, and the recent Bridging the Divide- Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race. Benson is also the first African-American female member of the honorary editing society American Cinema Editors and a member of their Board of Directors.