''The Education of Shelby Knox'' is 2005 documentary film that tells the coming-of-age story of public speaker and feminist Shelby Knox, a teenager who joins a campaign for comprehensive

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...

in the high schools of

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...

.
Shelby Knox's website ''TEOSK'' was an official selection of the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

in 2005 and aired on PBS’ '' P.O.V.'' series that same year. It was directed and produced by Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt.

Overview

Lubbock Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

has some of the highest

teen pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. This includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period bet ...

and STD rates in the nation, the "solution" to which is a strict

abstinence-only sex education Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches not having sex outside of marriage. It often excludes other types of sexual and reproductive health education, such as birth control and safe sex. Comprehensive sex education ...

curriculum in the public schools and a conservative preacher who urges kids to pledge abstinence until marriage. Shelby Knox is a deeply religious

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptists, Baptist denomination, and the Protestantism in the United States, largest Protestantism, Protestant and Christia ...

teenager who joins the Lubbock Youth Commission, a group of high school students representing a youth voice in city government. When the teens confront Lubbock's sexual health crisis and campaign for comprehensive sex education, Knox throws herself into the battle with missionary fervor, struggling to reconcile her newfound political beliefs with her conservative religious views. When the campaign broadens to include a fight for a gay-straight alliance, Knox must confront her family and pastor in this coming-of-age story.

Awards

''The Education of Shelby Knox'' has received a number of awards: *2005

(Excellence in Cinematography, Documentary Category) *2005

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

Film Festival (Audience Award) *2005

Sonoma Valley Film Festival Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting the best in independent film and filmmakers from around the world, inspiring savvy film lovers and introducing the power of film to stude ...

(Jury Prize) *2005 Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Jury Prize, Best Documentary) *2005

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction cinema. The festival is a program of the Center for Documentary Studies, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) at Duke University. ...

(Emerging Pictures Audience Award) *

Council on Foundations The Council on Foundations, founded in 1949, is a nonprofit leadership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. The Council's mission is to provide the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to exp ...

(2005 Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media) *2005 Fresno Reel Pride Film Festival (Audience Award, Best Feature) *2006 The Index on Censorship's Freedom of Expression Film Award (Nominee)

Shelby Knox in the News

The

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) an ...

' 2006 album ''

Taking the Long Way ''Taking the Long Way'' is the seventh studio album by American country music group Dixie Chicks. Released on May 23, 2006, through Columbia Nashville, it was also the group's last album released under the “Dixie Chicks” name. The album debut ...

'' features a track titled "Lubbock or Leave It", which is based on ''The Education of Shelby Knox''. When the song came out, the group's member

Emily Robison Emily Burns Strayer ( Erwin, previously Robison; born August 16, 1972) is an American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and a founding member of the country band The Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks. Strayer plays banjo, dobro ...

told the press: "We'd seen a documentary called ''The Education of Shelby Knox'', which was about a girl ... trying to get Lubbock to teach sex education in the schools. Lubbock has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STDs in the U.S., so it really showed what happens when you keep that information away from people." Lead singer

Natalie Maines Natalie Louise Maines (born October 14, 1974) is an American singer. She is the lead vocalist for the all-female country band The Chicks. In 1995, after leaving Berklee College of Music, Maines was recruited by the Dixie Chicks to replace their ...

, who is from Lubbock, subsequently spoke (during a 2006 episode of '' VH1 Storytellers'') about watching the film and drawing from her own experiences of living there to write the song. In the 2013 documentary ''How to Lose Your Virginity'', scenes from ''The Education of Shelby Knox'' are featured alongside interviews with Shelby Knox. As of June 2011, Shelby Knox is living in New York City and serving as the Director of Organizing, Women's Rights for Change.org.

References

External links

''P.O.V.'' The Education of Shelby Knox
- PBS' website dedicated to the film
Women Make Movies
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Education Of Shelby Knox, The 2005 films 2005 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about education in the United States Documentary films about sexuality Education in Texas Films set in Texas Films shot in Texas Sex education in the United States Sexuality and society Documentary films about feminism Films about activists History of women in Texas Lubbock, Texas 2000s English-language films 2000s American films