New Documentary The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash To Be Released On Nov. 11

Fresh off of being featured prominently in Ken Burns' Country Music documentary series for PBS, Johnny Cash is being featured in another in The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash, a new documentary from director Thom Zimny that premieres on YouTube Originals on Nov. 11. The film, which was created with the full cooperation of the Cash estate and is rich in recently-discovered archival materials, brings Cash the man out from behind the legend.

Helmed by the Emmy- and Grammy-winning director Zimny, the 90-minute film features a wealth of recently discovered archival materials and includes interviews with family members as well as several of Cash’s musical collaborators and friends, including fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris, who says, “He had a message and his message was the truth about being alive in this world.”
Taking the remarkable Folsom Prison recording as a central motif and featuring interviews with family and celebrated collaborators, the documentary explores the artistic victories, the personal tragedies, the struggles with addiction, and the spiritual pursuits that colored Johnny Cash’s life.

The documentary originally made its debut in March at the SXSW Film Festival and also screened recently at the Telluride Film Festival as part of the event’s Backlot Series. The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash is also set to screen at the 50th Annual Nashville Film Festival on Monday, October 7th.

You can check out the movie trailer below.