''Rebel Country'' is a 2024 American country music documentary film produced and directed by Francis Whately. The film features country music singers Jelly Roll, Sam Williams,

Lainey Wilson Lainey Denay Wilson (born May 19, 1992) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. She performed at an early age, before going to Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville to pursue a career as a country performer. In 2014, she released her f ...

and

Chely Wright Chely Wright (born Richell Rene Wright; October 25, 1970) is an American Activism, activist, author, and country music artist. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the numb ...

. The film had its debut in June 2024, at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

Synopsis

The film explores the new generation of country music singers who are redefining the culture of the music genre. It takes a deep dive into the diversity of musicians in the field, including Black, Mexican-American and LGBTQ country singers. The film also looks at the history of segregation associated with the country music industry.

Cast

* Jake Blount * Breland *

Blanco Brown Bennie Julius Amey III (born March 24, 1985), known professionally as Blanco Brown, is an American country rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has produced for Fergie and Pitbull. Brown's debut single " The Git Up" was release ...

Lindsay Ell Lindsay Elizabeth Ell (born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian-American country pop singer, songwriter, guitarist and television personality from Calgary, Alberta. Her music incorporates elements of rock and blues. Her debut extended play, ''Worth the ...

Rissi Palmer Rissi Palmer (born August 19, 1981) is an American country music artist. Palmer debuted in 2007 with the single "Country Girl", which made her the first African-American woman to chart a country song since Kathy Bee in 1988.

* Jelly Roll * Sam Williams *

Background

Director Francis Whately said his aim of the film was to show "this current moment that the country music genre is experiencing". He also interviewed various singers, music journalists, historians, and used archival footage in the documentary to illustrate the past and present of the music genre. Sam Williams, who's the grandson of

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

, is featured in the film and he talks about "challenging the status quo in country music by embracing his sexuality". Williams came out in 2022 during the filming of his "Tilted Crown" music video. He said at the time, he thought it was the "perfect opportunity to just show who I was."

Release

''Rebel Country'' premiered at the

on June 10, 2024. Following the premier, there was a musical performance by Breland. In July, it was one of two opening films screened at the

Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

is handling worldwide sales distribution.

Reception

''The Cinema Spot'' said the film is not scared to "shy away from the important discussions that need to happen regarding race, sexuality, and sexism within the genre". They also noted the film encourages "singers to not be afraid of speaking out against bigotry" in the industry. ''Cinemacy'' highlighted a segment in the film where it examines

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's debut of "

Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut mainstream single by the American rapper and singer Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. He also recorded ...

", and how it was "rescinded from appearing on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart due to not being 'country enough'." They also opined that while "country music is far more diverse today than ever ... that doesn't mean the genre should be free from criticism". ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

'' notes the opening of the film where it shows a "reenactment of Jelly Roll being led out of a bar by the cops in handcuffs ... and when the cops bring him into the county jail, instead of throwing him in a cell, they bring him onstage in an auditorium to perform for the prisoners". They also commented that Jelly Roll is "outspoken on the idea that all country music is outlaw art, and how he feels it is music for the outcasts, rebels, and pioneers of this country". ''Edge Media Network'' said the film shows that the "new crop" of country music singers "happens to be Black, Hispanic, queer, and proudly female". They also discussed the interview in the film with Sam Williams, and how he had it "easier hen he came out than

did when she came out and her fellow artists shunned her".

References

External links

* * {{Francis Whately 2020s American films 2020s English-language films 2024 documentary films 2024 films American documentary films American LGBTQ-related documentary films American LGBTQ-related films Documentary films about country music and musicians English-language documentary films