Filmmakers Emily MacKenzie and Noah Collier make their feature directorial debuts with Carpet Cowboys, a documentary portrait of Dalton, Georgia — also known as the “Carpet Capital of the World.”
The film will world premiere at the inaugural New/Next Film Festival, presented by 88.1 WYPR and taking place August 18-20 in Baltimore’s historic 5-screen Charles Theatre, and will open at New York’s Metrograph theater for a special engagement August 25 and launch in L.A. at Brain Dead Studios on September 15, with details on further cities to follow.
The film follows an interwoven set of locals living in Dalton, Georgia —also known as the “Carpet Capital of the World”— who are the unsung creators and developers behind the majority of the country’s carpets. Among them is Roderick James, a Scottish expat and freelance textile designer with a larger-than-life personality living his life as a modern-day cowboy vying for success as the town’s wealth consolidates to a select few.
Within Carpet Cowboys we see the concepts of economic profit and capitalist progress challenged and the notion of The American Dream scrutinized. Where does the myth of American identity begin and, the film asks, where does it end — and who ultimately gets to cash in?
“We have been living on top of Dalton’s carpets for our entire lives, but began spending time in their birthplace six years ago,” said co-directors MacKenzie and Collier in a joint quote. “It was revelatory to discover that something so ubiquitous and innocuous originates in one small town we had never heard of, and it has been a curious journey to depict its stories, which are, though specific, deeply universal and American. It is a pleasure to finally put this film out and introduce the town of Dalton Georgia, the Carpet Capital of the world.”
MacKenzie is a New Orleans-based director and producer. She has produced and directed for HBO, Vice, MTV, Fuse, Discovery Networks, WEtv, and Channel 4, among others.
Collier is a director and cinematographer born in New York City working primarily in the non-fiction sphere, with credits that include the Sundance Special Jury Award-winning Jawline (Hulu 2019), Santa Camp (HBO 2022), and The Come Up (Freeform 2022).
“I don’t see many movies that are as simple but complex as this at the same time, and once I’d seen it I knew I wanted to support these first-time feature filmmakers,” said Executive Producer Wilson on Carpet Cowboys. “This is the kind of documentary that really speaks to me, and I can’t wait for everyone to view this small, American town through the lens of the carpet industry.”
The film is produced by Riel Roch-Decter for MEMORY, who are also releasing, Brain Dead Studios, and Kathryn Everett, Bryn Mooser, Justin Lacob, and Andy Hsieh for XTR.
Watch the official trailer for Carpet Cowboys