WORLD PREMIERE - South by Southwest | BEST BIOGRAPHICAL FILM - Toronto International Women Film Festival
Women's Rights • Women in Journalism • Struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment • Environmental Movement • Johnson Administration • Kennedy Assassination • Press Secretary to Lady Bird Johnson
Date of Completion: 2024 | Run Time: 56 minutes | Language: English | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Directors & Producers: Abby Ginzberg & Christy Carpenter | Editors: Ken Schneider & Eli Olsen | Composer: Curtis Heath
SHAKING IT UP: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF LIZ CARPENTER tells the story of a trailblazing Texan who helped shape some of the most vivid moments and movements of the 20th Century. Journalist, White House official, political activist, and feminist leader: Carpenter was often front and center where history was unfolding leaving her own indelible mark on events and people. The film shows how her expansive personality, political know-how, and legendary wit gave her an outsized impact on historical events -- from the JFK assassination to the launch of Great Society programs to leadership roles in the National Women's Political Caucus, and the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment. Directors Christy Carpenter and Abby Ginzberg weave candid modern-day interviews with Dan Rather, Bill Moyers, Gloria Steinem, Luci Johnson, and more, with archival footage that reveals Liz’s enduring legacy of “shaking things up” in the battle for equal rights and human progress.
ENDORSEMENT QUOTES FROM ACADEMICS
University of Texas at Austin | Mark Atwood Lawrence, Chair, Department of History, Walter Prescott Webb Chair in History and Ideas
“Shaking it Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter offers a captivating portrait of an inspiring woman who played major roles in American journalism and politics. But the film also brings to life American history in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, decades of dramatic social and political change in which Liz Carpenter’s career soared. Instructors will find the film a valuable way to highlight the changing place of women in American life as well as other currents in American social and political history.”
Middle Tennessee State University | Mary A. Evins, Ph.D., Department of History
"The Liz Carpenter documentary is a spot-on timely reminder that we all need to be riled up, brassy, pushing ahead, joyfully swinging from the chandeliers to elevate people, democracy, and the public interest. There is no finer, stronger, more potent, on-point role model for our moment in history than incisive journalist, fierce advocate, and unalloyed feminist Liz Carpenter. Students – all of us – need to meet her or be reintroduced to her, be fired up by her, reembody her, and charge forward with her energy and purpose. Liz Carpenter is our national foremother and should be every woman’s spirit animal."
American University School of Public Affairs | Betsy Fischer Martin, Executive Director, Women & Politics Institute
“Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter perfectly captures the spirited story of journalist, White House official, and women's rights advocate Liz Carpenter. Our students found themselves thoroughly charmed, often responding enthusiastically to Carpenter’s delightful humor, sharp wit and fierce loyalty. The documentary is especially valuable for educators in women's history, political science, and journalism, offering an engaging exploration of Carpenter's passionate fight for the Equal Rights Amendment and her unwavering dedication to empowering women in politics. Filled with warmth, insightful storytelling, and never-before seen archival footage, this film brings both inspiration and depth to classroom discussions and academic research.”
Nashville PBS/WNPT | Sarah Childress, Ph.D., Director of Strategy & Operations
“Who says one person can’t change the world? Shaking It Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter tells the story of a woman who made history from an insider’s point of view and does so with a dynamism that matches its subject’s charisma. This thoroughly enjoyable watch will leave you marveling at the resourcefulness of Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird Johnson, and other women who worked tirelessly to make a positive impact – and they may just inspire you to do the same."
St. Edward's University | Nancy Salisbury, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor - CSR, Public Relations & Social Media
“Liz Carpenter’s legacy captured our students’ attention and sparked engagement across disciplines addressing today’s most pressing challenges. As a fearless communicator and tireless advocate for change, her trailblazing career—brought to life through dynamic archival footage, sharp wit, and compelling storytelling— ignited rich classroom discussions on media influence, civic engagement, sustainability, and the strategic power of communication. This film is more than a tribute to a pioneering woman in American history—it’s a call-to-action to ‘shake things up’ in their own fields.”
QUOTES FROM PRESS
OVERLY HONEST MOVIE REVIEWS | Chris Jones
“Through the visionary lens of Christy Carpenter and Abby Ginzberg, the film emerges as a vivid portrait of Liz Carpenter's remarkable journey. This documentary is a compelling exploration that resonates with the vibrancy of Carpenter's legacy, making it an essential watch for anyone fascinated by the figures who have shaped our modern world...genuinely educational but also entertaining…It’s a powerful tribute to the enduring impact of one woman's resolve to make the world more equitable, offering invaluable insights for anyone at the crossroads of history, politics, and women's advocacy.”
AUSTIN WOMAN | Deborah Hamilton-Lynne
“The film explores the making of the larger-than-life force of nature that was Elizabeth Sutherland Carpenter…There are many lessons shared in Shaking It Up, insights for young and old. How to make yourself indispensable by managing many tasks, how to be persistent and determined especially if you believe your cause is just, how to live as a truly inclusive visionary and how to do it all with grace and humor. Directed by Carpenter’s daughter, Christy Carpenter, and Abby Ginzberg, the film provides a snapshot of a woman in perpetual motion whose presence made the corridors of power bend to her will, not the other way around.”
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN | Michael Barnes
“It is one thing to read about Texas icon Liz Carpenter. It is another thing altogether to watch her in glorious action, bursting onto the national scene as pioneer woman journalist during the 1940s; working as a key aide to Lady Bird Johnson, and before that, Lyndon Baines Johnson in the 1960s; leading the fight across the country for women's rights in the 1970s and beyond. After all that, settling down, not quietly, but joyously, back in Austin, throwing parties, singing songs, howling at the moon, and, as always, getting things done. That's a part of what we see and hear thanks to the new 77-minute documentary, Shaking It Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter, co-produced and co-directed by her daughter, Christy Carpenter, along with veteran filmmaker Abby Ginzberg.”
CHRON.COM | Chris Vognar
“Directed by Carpenter’s daughter, Christy Carpenter, and Abby Ginzberg, the film provides a snapshot of a woman in perpetual motion whose presence made the corridors of power bend to her will, not the other way around. Shaking It Up is a generous and very sympathetic introduction to a 20th-century political figure who deserves to be known outside of Texas and Washington.”
CURVY FILM CRITIC | Carla Renata
“Colorful, comedic and committed to ensuring that women’s voices were always heard in one way or another, Carpenter never backed down from a challenge and spent her life in politics solidifying that women would be seen and treated as equals in a space not meant for us to navigate and thrive in. We shall be forever grateful that deep in the heart of Texas a wise-cracking, steely eyed reporter hit the masses in the form of Liz Carpenter ensuring that newsrooms and American journalism would never again be business as usual.”
AWARDS
Best Biographical Film | Toronto International Women Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary Film | Hill Country Film Festival
FESTIVALS
SXSW Festival
Official Selection at 9 additional festivals throughout the U.S.
SCREENINGS
Some 15 educational and other public institutions have hosted screenings with filmmaker talk-backs since May 2024, including the Univ. of Texas-Austin; Univ. of Houston; St. Edwards University; American University; Middle Tennessee State Univ; Bullock Texas State History Museum; Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Dallas; The Modern Museum of Art, Ft. Worth and others.