CREEDE U.S.A.
A mining boomtown wanted to expand their minds by inviting a repertory theatre to establish themselves in the 1960s. Kahane Corn Cooperman SXSW 2025 is a peak behind the curtain of the country’s political landscape. Leave your judgment at the door. Welcome to a genuine snapshot of small-town America. Welcome to CREEDE U.S.A.
A town of roughly 300 asks the hard national questions, from guns to LGBTQ curriculum inclusion. CREEDE U.S.A. features school board meetings that seem to put empathy on trial as the months pass, but discussions occur with the utmost civility and open ears. Sit-down interviews with the residents are charming, insightful, and raw. The cinematography by Jilann Spitzmiller and Graham Willoughby is stunning, and Osei Essed‘s score feels like home.
Boasting theatre legend alum Mandy Patinkin, Creede Repertory Theatre is a machine with three productions in a single season, with a local audience from every street in town. Deliciously diverse casting and productions that challenge preconceived notions.
The positive impact of the rep theatre is undeniable. Like all theatre spaces, it is a safe and inclusive place filled with new ideas, challenging an audience to think. One does not usually equate theatre and conservative values. As a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC, a homeowner in the city and CT, a children’s theatre director, and a writer, I speak from firsthand knowledge over my 44 years. We’ve seen the national impact over the past 10 years, with groups like Moms For Liberty infiltrating school boards and banning books in counties they don’t even live in.
CREEDE U.S.A. is an unbelievably fascinating microcosm of the country. Big ideas are not abstract because the town is so small and close. Civility is the key to communicating. They are the perfect example of how important local government remains. CREEDE U.S.A is a how-to guide to getting involved, listening, authentic problem-solving, and open-mindedness. This community obliterates political bias and cliché. We should all aspire to be more like them. The film is a celebration of tradition and art. It honors the complexity of humans.
Director: Kahane Corn Cooperman
Producer: Innbo Shim, Kahane Corn Cooperman
Running Time: 94 mins
In Kahane Cooperman’s lyrical CREEDE U.S.A., a remote Colorado mountain mining town becomes an unexpected model for public discourse. For generations, Creede’s residents have held tightly to their heritage and values. But when the town brought in a theater company to revitalize the economy, the citizens were introduced to new ideas and perspectives—creating an ongoing tension between tradition and change.
Nearly 60 years and countless performances later, Creede is a stunning microcosm of America’s national divisions. Issues like guns in classrooms and gender pronouns spark tense debates, yet the town remains bound by a shared sense of place and community. Through intimate portraits, charged town meetings, and a rich historical lens, CREEDE U.S.A. explores how this evolving community continues to find common ground – both inside and outside of the mining shafts, ranches and the Creede Repertory Theatre. Hopeful and urgent, the film offers a poignant reflection on the challenges and possibilities of coexistence in an increasingly polarized world.
REMAINING CREEDE U.S.A. SXSW SCREENINGS:
- PREMIERE: Sunday, March 9 at 9:00 PM CT – SXSW Film & TV Theater at the Hyatt Regency
- Monday, March 10 at 5:00 PM CT – AFS Cinema
- Thursday, March 13 at 9:30 PM CT – Violet Crown Cinema theaters 2 and 4
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