Stewart Udall: The Politics of Beauty

Join us for **the Massachusetts premiere of the award-winning documentary film Stewart Udall: The Politics of Beauty** presented by Filmmakers Collaborative and Kestrel Land Trust at the Academy of Music in Northampton.

This new biographical film tells the story of the legendary **Secretary of Interior Stewart Udall,** who served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and became a towering - yet humble - figure in the 20th century American conservation movement. He was an early campaigner for both **environmental protection and social justice,** encouraging JFK, LBJ, and Ladybird Johnson to become conservation leaders themselves.

Through his bipartisan statesmanship, more lands and waters were protected as national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national seashores during his tenure as Interior Secretary than under any other leader in that position. Udall was directly responsible for the passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the establishment of a National Trails program. He was also one of the earliest leaders at the federal level to warn about the **looming dangers of climate change.**

Stewart Udall was a Renaissance man and authored numerous books on American history and public policy. He was a also poet who admired **Robert Frost**, and he played a key role in raising Frost’s public profile at the time.

**The film screening will be followed by a panel conversation with:**

* Writer/Director, **John de Graaf**

* Consulting Producer, **Laurence Cotton** (a former resident of the Connecticut River Valley)

* Biographer, **Thomas Smith** (a Massachusetts resident who appears in the film)

* Stewart Udall’s personal aide, **Sharon Francis** (a New Hampshire resident who appears in the film)

* Moderated by Kestrel Land Trust Executive Director, **Kristin DeBoer**

**Tickets may be purchased online at the Academy of Music’s website, or at the Box Office in person or by phone at 413-584-9032 ext. 105. Box Office hours are Tuesday – Friday 3-6 PM.**

$10 for Adults ($13.95 after service fees)

Children & Students may attend for free