Dolly Parton's Documentary Airs at Nashville Film Festival

The Book Lady, a documentary about Dolly Parton's child literacy campaign, will premiere at the Nashville Film Festival, which is already underway, Country Standard Time wrote. Featured in the documentary are Parton, Miley Cyrus (who happens to be Parton's goddaughter), Keith Urban, Canadian singer/songwriters Sarah Harmer and Justin Rutledge, and American-born Canadian author of children's books, Robert Munsch.  The documentary tells the story of Parton's "Imagination Library."

Producer Brad Horvath said, "We are excited to show The Book Lady to a Nashville audience. More than half of all the preschool children in Tennessee participate in the program. Plus, there isn't a more appropriate city to show a documentary about country music's biggest star."

The "Imagination Library" that Parton created sends free, age-appropriate books every month to preschool children in the U.S., Canada and England. "Imagination Library" corresponds with the Governor's Books From Birth Foundation in Tennessee, along side other local sponsors. Together, they all provide children under five years of age with the opportunity to take part in the program.
The film's director, Natasha Ryan, said, "Some children even believe Dolly delivers the books herself while they are sleeping." Ryan became interested in the project because of its blend of politics and popular culture. Ryan continued,"Dolly is a woman who frequently in the same day graces both the pages of gossip blog perezhilton.com and positive parenting Web sites. She is whatever you want her to be and yet is utterly uncompromising about her image."

Of her documentary, Parton said,"The Book Lady captures the heart and soul of the Imagination Library and taught me once again that what we do for children will, in the end, be our legacy."

After making its U.S. Premiere at the Cleveland International Film Festival last month, The Book Lady will become a part of the Nashville Film Festival's Tennessee Treasures program on Tuesday, April 21, at 6:15 p.m. and Thursday, April 23, at 8:45 p.m.