The documentary The Price of Freedom, which explores gun violence in America and the history of the National Rifle Association (NRA) will premiere on CNN on Sunday, August 29.
Directed by Grand Clio, Cannes Lion, and Emmy® Award-winner Judd Ehrlich (Keepers of the Game, We Could Be King), the documentary premiered at Tribeca Festival in June and opened in theaters in July.
CNN will premiere The Price of Freedom on Sunday, August 29, beginning at 9:00pm EDT (6:00pm PDT), immediately followed by a roundtable discussion of the issues examined in the film for a special edition of Cuomo Prime Time, anchored by CNN’s Chris Cuomo. The Price of Freedom, and the companion programming, will be presented on CNN without commercial interruption, and broadcast from 9:00pm EDT to 11:00pm EDT (6:00pm PDT to 8:00pm PDT).
The Price of Freedom documents how the National Rifle Association (NRA), originally a nonpartisan sporting enthusiasts’ organization, evolved into a politically influential force that has shaped American policy and culture for more than five decades. The film traces how the organization has responded to major inflection points in American history, recasting crime waves, political assassinations, mass casualty shootings, and landmark legislative moments as opportunities to expand greater access to guns.
Ehrlich reveals this history for the film by using archival film and news coverage of the NRA that illustrate how the NRA has influenced legislation and culture since the landmark bipartisan Gun Control Act of 1968. Contemporary interviews with President Bill Clinton; U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ); NRA board member and former NRA President David Keene; U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA); Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT); journalist Frank Smyth; chair and professor of history, University of St Thomas (St Paul), Yohuru Williams, PhD, and others explain the strategic decisions made by the NRA and politicians that have polarized gun policy debates and led to legislative inaction in response to calls for gun safety regulations. Activists and survivors including X González, survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL; Fred Guttenberg, father of Jaime Guttenberg, killed during the Parkland, FL, school shooting; Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley, killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in CT; and Rob Pincus, executive vice president of a Second Amendment Organization, all describe their experiences for the film.
Watch the trailer for The Price of Freedom.