Ketch Secor Documentary ‘Louder Than Guns’ To Get Theatrical Release Through Abramorama

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Ketch Secor

Abramorama has acquired the North American theatrical rights to Louder Than Guns, a documentary from Executive Producers Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, Former NPR Morning Edition host David Greene, and director Doug Pray. 

The film will open on May 8 at DCTV Firehouse Cinema in New York City, followed by a North American rollout to additional cities. In addition to the rollout, the film’s creators will co-present in Nashville with Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a non-profit committed to protecting communities and respecting the Second Amendment. On May 11, a 60-minute version of the film will air on PBS Nashville and affiliate stations as part of the celebrated Reel South documentary series.

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Louder Than Guns moves the heated conversation around gun violence and firearm safety in America away from political divisiveness and toward real dialogue.The film is a journey through rural, urban, and suburban America that humanizes all sides of this country’s polarized gun debate through the power of music, civil discourse, and unexpected common ground. The film tackles the extremely complicated and sensitive subject of gun violence with an open and all-encompassing approach, inviting people with different points of view to share their thoughts and experiences in conversation without judgment.

The impetus for Louder Than Guns began in the wake of another horrific mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville. Immediately afterward, Secor felt compelled to speak out on gun reform. He wrote an op-ed in the New York Times entitled, “Country Music Can Lead America Out of Its Obsession with Guns” which caught the attention of Ketch’s friend, public radio journalist David Greene, and the two set out to start an open dialogue about gun rights and gun violence in America. Film director Doug Pray followed Ketch and Greene as the band toured rural and urban communities, naming the documentary Louder Than Guns after a song Ketch wrote for the victims of the Covenant shooting.

“After the Covenant shooting, I felt like silence was no longer an option,” says Secor. “But I also knew that shouting into the void wasn’t the answer. What David and I set out to find – and what Doug so beautifully captured – is the possibility of real conversation in a country that feels like it’s forgotten how to have one. Music has always been how Americans talk to each other across divides, and I believe it still can be.”

“Louder Than Guns is exactly the kind of film we believe in — one that meets audiences where they are and opens a door rather than closing one,” says Abramorama’s Damon G. Smith, SVP of Business Growth and Creative Strategy andKarol Martesko-Fenster, CEO/President. “Ketch, David, and Doug have created something genuinely rare: a film about one of America’s most divisive issues that leaves you feeling connected rather than combative. We’re proud to bring it to theaters nationwide.”

“Firearms affect everyone, but nobody wants to talk about it with people they might disagree with,” says director Doug Pray. “I’ve made a lot of documentaries about subjects that are easily stereotyped, misunderstood, or dismissed. Making this film while trying to keep an open mind to all sides of the gun safety debate was hard. But after a while, I realized we all agree more than we disagree. Music helped inspire the talking, and I hope audiences will be moved to continue the conversation.”

“After 25 years of covering this country’s hardest stories,” says Executive Producer David Greene. “I’ve learned that the most important thing a journalist can do is listen. That’s what this film is — an act of listening. Ketch and I didn’t set out to change anyone’s mind. We set out to understand, and what we found gave me more hope than I expected.”

Lorie Hollabaugh
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