AMERICAN ROAD
American Road, named Best Documentary at its world premiere at the 2013 AMFM Festival in Palm Springs, explores the artistic, musical and literary resonances of the myth of the road in American lore - and especially of going off the beaten track: Westward expansion, the Dust Bowl, hobos, the beats, the upheavals of the 1960s, and the current generation of backpackers clutching their Lonely Planet Guides. The thematic touchstone is the egalitarian ideal of the 'open road' expressed by Walt Whitman. The road is a physical thing, but it also is a metaphor for personal and national transformation. Interviewees include cultural critic Russell Jacoby, novelist John Nichols, musician Tom Paley, writer Achy Obejas and many other savvy travelers. Website: www.americanroad.jigsy.com