AUSTIN, Texas — Hundreds of movies are premiering at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin this week. One of them, “Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter,” focuses on the life of a famed journalist and feminist who was born in Austin.
One of the best views of the Austin skyline can be seen from a fountain honoring journalist and political activist Liz Carpenter – the splash pad at Butler Metro Park.
"Liz would have loved seeing this – the children frolicking, water flowing. She was crazy about her own hot tub," Christy Carpenter, Liz Carpenter's daughter and the co-producer and co-director of the film, said.
Christy Carpenter is making sure her mother's legacy thrives. She and her good friend, Abby Ginzberg, are in town debuting the documentary the two directed about Liz Carpenter.
Liz Carpenter grew up in Austin and graduated from the University of Texas.
Through archived interviews and footage, you'll hear Liz Carpenter tell her own story about being a journalist and feminist activist during the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. The filmmakers also dive into her time as the first woman executive assistant to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and her role in writing his speech immediately after John F. Kennedy's assassination.
"She is in the motorcade during the Kennedy assassination," Ginzberg said. "She's on the scene, and she writes some very beautiful words that Johnson then edits and speaks to the American people."
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Liz Carpenter was also the press secretary for First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.
But what her daughter was shocked by the most while crafting this film is the depth of her involvement in the women's movement.
"I just found boxes and boxes of speeches that she had given to different women's organizations and on behalf of various candidates – everybody from Fannie Lou Hamer to Ann Richards to other candidates around the country," Christy Carpenter said.
There are many messages in this film but a big one is: "The fight goes on and we go on with the fight." And have fun doing it, like she would.
If you'd like to see “Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter,” there are two showings scheduled for Wednesday at the Violet Crown Cinema on West Second Street. One showing starts at 6 p.m., and the other at 6:30 p.m.