Upcoming Film Benefit

A Rivertown Film Preview and Special Program

Directed by Greg Mitchell
Narrated by Rosanne Cash
2026, USA

Monday, June 15, 8:00 pm
At The Nyack Center

View Trailer

“A celebration of Woody Guthrie and America’s 250^th Birthday with film clips, discussion, and live music from
Tom Chapin
The Chapin Sisters
The All Together Now Chorus
And A Singout of “This Land is Your Land”

 Every dollar earned tonight will go toward Rivertown Film’s newly established Cash Reserve Fund, and all of it will be matched by a generous gift from former board members Barrie Peterson and Bea Conner-Peterson.

This is the first preview anywhere for Greg Mitchell’s acclaimed new film, narrated by Rosanne Cash, Woody Guthrie and the Ghost of Tom Joad Today, with a song by Bruce Springsteen.

Woody Guthrie and the Ghost of Tom Joad will air over PBS stations later this summer. Mitchell’s fifth film for PBS since 2022, it reveals why Guthrie has become such an icon for many in today’s political struggles. It contains numerous surprises, such as the venom aimed at John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath” when it was first released—it was taken off shelves at some libraries and copies were even burned—and the amazing full story of how Woody came to write “This Land Is Your Land” (which is not its original title). It closes with words and images that reveal echoes of 1930s conflicts in debates surrounding immigration, ICE raids and authoritarian impulses today.

The film will receive its world premiere hosted by the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa on June 25.

From the early responses:

“Well done! And perfect for the spirit of the times. This is a great doc—just what we need right now.”
– Joe Klein, author of “Primary Colors”  and “Woody Guthrie: A Life.”

“I was proud to narrate a new documentary by Greg Mitchell about Woody Guthrie.
A beautiful film about a timeless artist.”
– Rosanne Cash

“Wonderful work. Great that PBS is cool with such a political ending and that you were able to shine a light on Steinbeck and Woody and the issues then–and to show the echo of them today.” — Danny Goldberg, co-director of the No Nukes film, former manager of Nirvana, Bonnie Raitt and others, and author of “How The Left Lost Teen Spirit,” “Bloody Crossroads 2020: Art, Entertainment and Resistance to Trump,” and other books.

“It’s a splendid piece of work. Very fine use of stills and footage, ditto for songs and music, a highly resonant story about great American artists, and above all a strong social conscience.”
– David Sterritt, author and former president, National Society of Film Critics

GREG MITCHELL
Greg Mitchell most recently visited Rivertown Film with Cover Ups American Style, political and media manipulation as seen in four of his recent films, and before that, “Following the Ninth: In the Footsteps of Beethovan’s Final Symphony (especially memorable for the “Ode to Joy” flashmob that ended the evening). He was a longtime editor at the legendary music magazine Crawdaddy,  and has written more than dozen books since. One of them, “Joy in Mudville,” is a memoir of coaching his son’s Nyack/Valley Cottage Little League team.  His other films for PBS include  The Memorial Day Massacre, The First Attack Ads and The Atomic Bowl.   His Atomic Cover-up, produced by longtime Rivertowner Suzanne Mitchell, won the top prize from the Organization of American Historians in 2024 and other awards. Learn more about Greg Mitchell and subscribe to his substack, Between Rock and a Hard Place, at https://gregmitchell.substack.com/

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