Carpet Cowboys

Director: Emily MacKenzie, Noah Collier

2023 / 85min / DCP

The psychedelic carpets lining our hotel hallways, casinos, and convention centers can be traced to one town: Dalton, Georgia, the “Carpet Capital of the World.” In this bastion of American manufacturing, we find an interwoven set of locals who are the unsung creators and developers behind the majority of the country’s carpets, always looking at the ground for their next big break.

Among them is Roderick James, a Scottish expat and freelance textile designer living his life as a modern-day cowboy with an ambitious slew of eclectic business ventures. Through Rod’s journey chasing after The American Dream and the experiences of his peers in Dalton, Carpet Cowboys explores the tensions between personal and national identity, and the rapidly changing global economic model of the United States that too often leaves so many behind.

Where does the myth of American identity begin and where does it end, and who ultimately gets to cash in?

A MEMORY release

Co-directors Emily MacKenzie and Noah Collier in person for an introduction and Q&A on August 25th, 26th and 27th.

Executive Producer John Wilson in person with co-directors Emily MacKenzie and Noah Collier for the Q&A on August 26th, moderated by programmer Lydia Ogwang

Friday, August 25th Q&A moderated by writer Molly Young

Sunday, August 27th Q&A moderated by Steven Phillips-Horst of the podcast Celebrity Book Club