Be quick to book for their ONLY LONDON SHOW on Fri. Feb 17  LIVE @ Union Chapel, 7pm. Click here for tickets

If you can’t make it to the London show, here are some more chances to catch ‘em in action:

• Wed. Feb 15: Movie screening @  Edinburgh Filmhouse, 8:15pm. Topp Twins present for Q&A. Click here for tickets.

• Thu. Feb 16: Topps perform LIVE in Edinburgh @ the Bongo Club, 8:15pm. Click here for tickets and scroll to the bottom.

• Sat. Feb 18, 6:20pm: Movie screening in Notting Hill @ Gate Cinema, 6:20pm. Click here for tickets.

• Sun. Feb 19: Topp Twins perform LIVE @ Komedia, Brighton, 7pm.

• Mon. Feb 20: Movie screening in Clapham @ Picturehouse, 6:30pm. Click here for tickets.

• Mon. Feb 20: Movie screening in Norwich @ Cinema City, 6:30pm (Skype Q&A) Click here for tickets.

The Dr's Topp

Jools and Lynda Topp were presented with honorary doctorates in the arts from the University of Waikato at the graduation ceremony 0n October 20th 2011 in Hamilton.

Abridged citation for Jools and Lynda Topp Honorary Doctorate

The University of Waikato is pleased to bestow its most prestigious award of Honorary Doctorate on Jools and Lynda Topp – comedians, singers and social activists for more than 30 years.

Born in Huntly and raised on the family farm at Ruawaro, they grew up believing they could achieve anything in life. They were singing at parties by the time they were five, had their first guitars at 12 and under the guidance of their mother Jean, honed their country and western skills before leaving the Waikato for a short career in the New Zealand Army, and then Auckland.

They began busking downtown on a Friday night and their popularity steadily grew.  It was clear that these country and western singing, yodelling, acting and dancing lesbian twin sisters weren’t just funny; they had a social conscience.

Jools and Lynda were high-profile opponents of the 1981 Springbok rugby tour, strong proponents of homosexual law reform, and vocal campaigners for Maori land rights and Nuclear-Free New Zealand.

They’ve toured New Zealand many times for sell-out shows, sometimes with their famous caravan in tow. Overseas their many performances have included appearances at the Montreal Comedy Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London seasons at The Drill Hall, Whelans in Dublin and numerous Australian tours, including a spot at the World Cup Rugby Finals in Sydney 2004.

They’ve made more than a dozen television shows and recorded eight albums.  Their movie, Untouchable Girls was released in 2009 and immediately broke records for best opening day and weekend in New Zealand’s movie history.  The documentary charts the twins’ life and highlights major social and political movements that helped shaped us as a nation. The film also tracked Jools’ diagnosis, treatment and recovery from breast cancer.

The characters that Lynda and Jools play have become our friends as they affirm and challenge our identity –Camp Mother and Camp Leader, Ken and Ken, Raylene and Brenda, the Bowling Ladies and socialites Prue and Dilly Ramsbottom.  It’s a unique form of performing art.  They are embraced by the most conservative audiences while never softening their outspoken stance as they continue to make acutely observed work in and about ‘our place’.  It is testament to their skill, commitment and generosity of vision.

Find the world’s best documentary about yodeling lesbian twins by clicking on any of these:

Or get your paws on it through any of the local cable TV providers listed to the right –>

Sorry people if you live outside the United States you cannot access NetFlix or some of the other providers but you can buy it on Amazon and itunes. Please spread the word to all your family and friends in the USA. If the title is not yet available on NetFlix please “Rate, Review & Save To Your Queue!”

**

The Topp Twins’ toe‐tapping country take on the traditional song has a unique twist, with Jools singing the part of Henry, a hapless goat, and Lynda taking on the role of Liza, an exasperated duck. When Henry discovers a hole in his bucket, Liza offers a series of solutions to fix it, eventually looping the song back to the original problem.

Lynda and Jools saw this book as a fun way to encourage kids to pick up a book. “We believe that learning to read is vital no matter who you are or where you are from,” says Jools. “It’s a classic song, everyone knows the words, so hopefully all the mums and dads will catch themselves singing along as well, and having some fun with their kids.”

“As I drew, I listened to the song over 200 times,” says Jenny Cooper, whose illustrations give a gentle nod to the Topp Twins’ character Camp Leader.

Scholastic NZ Publishing Manager Diana Murray says excitement has been building about the release of the book. “As soon as we came up with the idea of creating a picture book of the old favourite There’s a Hole in my Bucket, we thought of the Topp Twins. The combination of fun, characterful illustrations by Jenny Cooper with the catchy rendition of the song is even better than we had imagined.”

Out October 1st, 2011

Opening night in New York City

Lynda and Jools have taking New York and California by storm as they bring “The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls” to American audiences. The US theatrical release has been a whirlwind tour so far, with great fun meeting new friends and new fans in New York City, San Francisco, and more. “The ladies emit a genuine warmth that reels audiences in,” said -The New York Times, “Resistance is futile,” warned Seattle Weekly, telling readers “don’t even try not falling for these adorable twin lesbian political-activist farmer/folksinger/comedians.” (Click here for showtimes across the US, including Chicago, Atlanta and more.)

To keep up with the adventures and see some great photos from the premiers, check The Twins out on Facebook.

Help us spread the word! Let your friends and family in Toronto know that March 24 is opening day, check the theatre for listings: http://tiff.net/tiffbelllightbox

TIFF Bell Lightbox
Reitman Square
350 King Street West
Phone: +1-416-599-TIFF (8433), 1-888-599-8433

New York, New York! On May 13, “Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls” will open at the Cinema Village theater in New York City. Spread the word! When the time gets closer, you’ll be able to buy tickets here: http://tinyurl.com/ToppsNYC

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls heads to Arizona for the Sedona International Film Festival. Screenings are February 23 @ 12:30pm, and February 26 @ 9:30pm.   Tickets can be purchased here: www.tinyurl.com/toppsedona. Spread the word to friends and family in Arizona.

So if you’ve never seen it, or if you haven’t had a chance to get your hands on the DVD and you want to see it again, or if you just love it so much that you want to watch it at every opportunity then do TUNE IN and watch it with your fellow Kiwis!

Audience Award – Best Documentary
21st Hamburg International Queer Film Festival 2010, Germany

Best Documentary Feature
Reeling 2010: The 29th Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, USA

Thanks to those of you who saw the film at these screenings!

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls is a finalist for the Music Documentary at the International Documentary Association Awards. This is very exciting! The ceremony takes place on the 3 December in Los Angeles at the DGA Theater. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Here’s the full press release:

The International Documentary Association Announces Nominees for The 2010 IDA Awards

IDA Members to Select Winners in Feature and Short Categories

LOS ANGELES, October 27, 2010 – The International Documentary Association, one of the leading organizations in the world of documentary film and filmmaking, announced the nominees for the 2010 edition of it’s prestigious IDA Documentary Awards today, with many of the year’s most buzzed about titles and festival favorites making the list. Winners will be feted on December 3^rd at the Directors Guild Theater in Los Angeles in a ceremony hosted by award-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

“This has been another banner year for documentary films,” said IDA Executive Director Michael Lumpkin, “and that is reflected in our list of nominees. Entries to the Awards increased by nearly 20% this year, and the quality of the films vying for recognition is unprecedented.”

Lumpkin also announced that for the first time two of the awards – for Distinguished Feature and Short Documentary – will be selected by IDA’s members through an innovative process in which members who wish to participate will view all of the nominated films in these categories through a secure, password-protected online system. After viewing all of the films in their entirety, these IDA member judges will cast their votes to determine the winners.

The five films nominated in IDA’s Distinguished Feature category are: EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, the debut film from the renowned and elusive graffiti artist Banksy; THE OATH, Laura Poitras’ riveting story about two men whose fateful encounter set them on a journey that would lead to Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo, and the U.S. Supreme Court; Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen’s STEAM OF LIFE, a poetic and emotional tour of Finland’s saunas in which men of all walks of life share their touching stories about love, death, birth and friendship; SWEETGRASS, Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor’s cinematic and observational tour-de-force that captures a family and their animals in their final season herding sheep in Montana’s spectacular Absaroka-Beartooth mountain range; and Lucy Walker’s WASTE LAND, which follows artist Vik Muniz on a transformative journey from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho.

The five nominated films in the Distinguished Short category are: THE FENCE, Rory Kennedy’s revealing and often surprising look at the story behind the controversial Southern U.S. Border Barrier; KEEP DANCING, Greg Vander Veer’s endearing portrait of legendary dancers Marge Champion and Donald Saddler; THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF GOVERNOR BOOTH GARDNER, Daniel Junge’s look at Washington’s former governor Booth Gardner as he leads a campaign to legalize assisted suicide in the state while dealing with the devastating effects of Parkinson’s disease; Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s THE LAST TRUCK: THE CLOSING OF A GM PLANT, which views the final months of the plant through the workers’ eyes as they reflect on their work and consider their next steps; and WOMAN REBEL, Kiran Deol’s story of “Silu,” a female soldier with Nepal’s People’s Liberation Army, who eventually becomes a democratically elected government official.

In the Continuing Series category, the five nominees are: 30 FOR 30, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, BRICK CITY, and WIDE ANGLE. Limited Series nominees are: AFFLICTION SERIES: CULTURE AND MENTAL ILLNESS IN INDONESIA, HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG, LATIN MUSIC USA, MASTERCLASS, and THIS EMOTIONAL LIFE.

Nominees for the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award are: LITTLE MOM, directed by Maria Fortiz-Morse; PERRY COUNTY, directed by N’Jeri Eaton and Matt Durning; THE STINKING SHIP, directed by Bagassi Koura; and WHALES OF GOLD, directed by Lucia Duncan. Nominees for the IDA Music Award are:  FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE, directed by Jim Bigham and Mark Moormann; GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD, directed by Peter Raymont and Michele Hozer; THUNDER SOUL, directed by Mark Landsman; THE TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS, directed by Leanne Pooley; and WHEN I RISE, directed by Mat Hames.

Other IDA competition categories include the IDA/HUMANITAS Award, the IDA/ABCNEWS VideoSource Award, for best use of television news footage as an integral component, as well as the IDA/Pare Lorentz Award, presented to the filmmaker whose documentary best represents the activist spirit and lyrical vision of the acclaimed Pare Lorentz.  Winner of these awards, as well as of the IDA Music Award and the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, will be announced in late November. For a complete list of nominees, please see the attached.

In addition to competitive awards for the year’s current crop of outstanding documentaries, IDA also acknowledges exemplary creative contributions to the field at large. Jeff Malmberg, director of the one of the year’s most celebrated films, MARWENCOL, will receive the 2010 IDA/Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.

As previously announced, this year’s IDA Career Achievement honoree, to be celebrated during December’s event, is legendary and innovative filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Susan Raymond and Alan Raymond, creators of the landmark PBS series AN AMERICAN FAMILY, will receive IDA’s Pioneer Award, and award-winning filmmaker and film professor Mark J. Harris will receive IDA’s Preservation and Scholarship Award.

Eligibility requirements for the Awards were simplified this year and are now based on time of completion of the film or program. The change resulted in an eligibility window of January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 for this year’s Awards. The 2011 Awards eligibility window will be July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011.

Tickets for the 2010 IDA Documentary Awards are available for purchase now at www.documentary.org/awards2010.

Cindy Widner from the Austin Chronicle also has written an article based on an interview she did:

It’s possible you think you are not interested in a documentary about yodeling Kiwi lesbian twins. You would, in that case, be very, very wrong. “Sometimes, you’ve got to take a gamble on something,” says Jools Topp on the phone from her ranch on New Zealand’s north island. “If you’ve got ‘lesbian singing duo from New Zealand that’s political,’ you might think, ‘Wow, that’s not something I’d want to see.’ Then again, if you go, you might be pleasantly surprised, and sometimes that’s the best thing.” Read the rest of the article here.

If you are in Austin make sure you get your ticket and if you know someone in Austin tell them to!