LeVar Burton celebrates his television series Reading Rainbow in the trailer for the forthcoming documentary feature Butterfly in the Sky.
Butterfly in the Sky tells the story of Reading Rainbow, the educational show promoting literacy that Burton hosted for 23 seasons. The program first aired on PBS and later on PBS Kids before signing off in November of 2006, collecting a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards throughout the course of its run.
The movie from co-directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb is set for a limited theatrical release March 17 from AMC Theatres. A full run follows later in New York City and other destinations, overseen by Mia Bruno of Fourth Act Film. It will be available on digital platforms including iTunes and Amazon on April 30, with Roco Films making the film available that month for classrooms, educators and libraries.
Burton is among the insiders participating in exclusive interviews for the project. “I...
Butterfly in the Sky tells the story of Reading Rainbow, the educational show promoting literacy that Burton hosted for 23 seasons. The program first aired on PBS and later on PBS Kids before signing off in November of 2006, collecting a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards throughout the course of its run.
The movie from co-directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb is set for a limited theatrical release March 17 from AMC Theatres. A full run follows later in New York City and other destinations, overseen by Mia Bruno of Fourth Act Film. It will be available on digital platforms including iTunes and Amazon on April 30, with Roco Films making the film available that month for classrooms, educators and libraries.
Burton is among the insiders participating in exclusive interviews for the project. “I...
- 3/7/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s feature documentary “Butterfly in the Sky,” about the beloved 1980’s PBS children’s series “Reading Rainbow” will be released in select AMC theaters and digitally through Fifth Season.
The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, takes audiences behind the scenes of the children’s series and tells the story of the show’s creators, who believed the small screen could inspire a love of reading. The docu also spotlights the show’s host LeVar Burton and gives an inside look at the challenges he and the show’s creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television.
The doc, produced by Xtr, will have a limited theatrical release beginning on March 17 in select AMC theaters followed by a full run in New York and additional cities. The film’s digital and international rights have been acquired by Fifth Season. The...
The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, takes audiences behind the scenes of the children’s series and tells the story of the show’s creators, who believed the small screen could inspire a love of reading. The docu also spotlights the show’s host LeVar Burton and gives an inside look at the challenges he and the show’s creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television.
The doc, produced by Xtr, will have a limited theatrical release beginning on March 17 in select AMC theaters followed by a full run in New York and additional cities. The film’s digital and international rights have been acquired by Fifth Season. The...
- 2/28/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Butterfly in the Sky, a documentary from Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, revisits the impact of Reading Rainbow and its host, LeVar Burton. For 23 years the PBS show taught kids the value of reading––155 episodes of different children’s books, with Burton traveling the globe to learn something new, try something new, or speak to someone new. Ending with Book Reviews by kids, the show not only transformed reading into a cool activity, but gave children another role model to join the likes of Big Bird and Mr. Rogers.
Thomason and Whitcomb’s documentary follows a linear path, focusing on the series’ humble beginnings, the initial reaction along with its necessary evolution, and the brilliance of Burton throughout the quarter-decade. There’s nothing revolutionary about the filmmaking; there doesn’t need to be. Reading Rainbow and Burton were game-changers with a simple goal: doing whatever it took to get kids to pick up a book.
Thomason and Whitcomb’s documentary follows a linear path, focusing on the series’ humble beginnings, the initial reaction along with its necessary evolution, and the brilliance of Burton throughout the quarter-decade. There’s nothing revolutionary about the filmmaking; there doesn’t need to be. Reading Rainbow and Burton were game-changers with a simple goal: doing whatever it took to get kids to pick up a book.
- 6/22/2022
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
"'Reading Rainbow' was not about learning to read, it was about loving to read." This astute and apt observation is made early on in "Butterfly in the Sky," a new documentary playing at the Tribeca Film Festival that focuses on the seminal children's television series "Reading Rainbow." Similarly, this documentary from directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb is not just about the origins and influence of "Reading Rainbow," but it serves as a touching love letter to the educational program, as well as effervescent host LeVar Burton, that sparked a love of reading and so much more in...
The post Butterfly in the Sky Review: A Loving Tribute to the Power of Reading Rainbow and the Magic of LeVar Burton [Tribeca] appeared first on /Film.
The post Butterfly in the Sky Review: A Loving Tribute to the Power of Reading Rainbow and the Magic of LeVar Burton [Tribeca] appeared first on /Film.
- 6/14/2022
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Because the documentary marketplace is every bit as beholden to the sway of nostalgia as any other, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that one of its most lucrative genres has focused on TV shows that helped form a target demographic.
If you’re trying to woo a hesitant audience of Gen X or millennial viewers — less a worry with today’s documentary-filled streaming landscape than it might have been a decade ago — looking back on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) or Sesame Street (Street Gang) represents an easy way to do it.
Not coincidentally, those shows are the two longest-running children’s series in PBS history, followed by Reading Rainbow, which gets its own documentary retrospective with Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s Butterfly in the Sky, debuting at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
While Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
Because the documentary marketplace is every bit as beholden to the sway of nostalgia as any other, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that one of its most lucrative genres has focused on TV shows that helped form a target demographic.
If you’re trying to woo a hesitant audience of Gen X or millennial viewers — less a worry with today’s documentary-filled streaming landscape than it might have been a decade ago — looking back on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) or Sesame Street (Street Gang) represents an easy way to do it.
Not coincidentally, those shows are the two longest-running children’s series in PBS history, followed by Reading Rainbow, which gets its own documentary retrospective with Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s Butterfly in the Sky, debuting at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
While Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
- 6/10/2022
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tribeca Festival, the event that wants to offer something for everyone, returns Wednesday with its sprawling collection of features and shorts, live music, TV, podcasts, games, and Ar/VR. The annual New York City-set fest has moved mostly back indoors this year, but will feature nods to 2021 like free outdoor screenings and an online edition, Tribeca At Home. A rich documentary slate tackles abortion, press freedom and the rise of social media. There’s a first-time award for environmental impact and a series of talks with Blackhouse Foundation centered on Poc storytelling.
“We’re an activist festival,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder with Robert De Niro and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises. “When you think back to how we founded the festival, we’ve always been political,” she added, a nod to the duo launching Tribeca after the September 11 terrorist attacks to buck up a physically and emotionally devastated neighborhood.
This year,...
“We’re an activist festival,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder with Robert De Niro and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises. “When you think back to how we founded the festival, we’ve always been political,” she added, a nod to the duo launching Tribeca after the September 11 terrorist attacks to buck up a physically and emotionally devastated neighborhood.
This year,...
- 6/7/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Reading Rainbow, the 1980s kids television series that was hosted by LeVar Burton for 23 years, is set to be the subject of a new feature documentary.
Xtr is behind Butterfly in the Sky, a film that chronicles the journeys of a handful of broadcasters, educators, filmmakers, and host who believed television could inspire a lifelong love of reading.
The project comes on the back of and was inspired by films such as Won’t You Be My Neighbor and I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story.
It will explore the show’s long-run and will feature archival footage and interviews with Burton as well as many others.
Butterfly in the Sky is directed by Jasper Mall duo Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb and is produced by Sidestilt Films. Bryan Storkel (Alabama Snake) produces with Xtr’s Bryn Mooser, Justin Lacob and Kathryn Everett exec producing.
“Reading Rainbow was my...
Xtr is behind Butterfly in the Sky, a film that chronicles the journeys of a handful of broadcasters, educators, filmmakers, and host who believed television could inspire a lifelong love of reading.
The project comes on the back of and was inspired by films such as Won’t You Be My Neighbor and I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story.
It will explore the show’s long-run and will feature archival footage and interviews with Burton as well as many others.
Butterfly in the Sky is directed by Jasper Mall duo Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb and is produced by Sidestilt Films. Bryan Storkel (Alabama Snake) produces with Xtr’s Bryn Mooser, Justin Lacob and Kathryn Everett exec producing.
“Reading Rainbow was my...
- 9/2/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
A feature-length documentary about the legacy of “Reading Rainbow,” the beloved children’s show featuring LeVar Burton, is in production now from non-fiction studio Xtr called “Butterfly in the Sky.”
The “Reading Rainbow” film is named for the iconic theme song for the series, which ran for 26 years beginning in 1983 and picked up 26 Emmys and a Peabody Award throughout its run.
LeVar Burton himself, who hosted the program during its run and helped make it a classroom staple, sat down for new interviews with the filmmakers to discuss the show’s legacy. And in the vein of recent nostalgia-driven documentaries such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story,” “Butterfly in the Sky” will also cobble together archival footage and new interviews with broadcasters, educators and filmmakers who have all been involved with “Reading Rainbow” over the past 30 years.
“Reading Rainbow” has...
The “Reading Rainbow” film is named for the iconic theme song for the series, which ran for 26 years beginning in 1983 and picked up 26 Emmys and a Peabody Award throughout its run.
LeVar Burton himself, who hosted the program during its run and helped make it a classroom staple, sat down for new interviews with the filmmakers to discuss the show’s legacy. And in the vein of recent nostalgia-driven documentaries such as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” and “I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story,” “Butterfly in the Sky” will also cobble together archival footage and new interviews with broadcasters, educators and filmmakers who have all been involved with “Reading Rainbow” over the past 30 years.
“Reading Rainbow” has...
- 9/2/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Indigenous’ 60 Second Docs, the digital network that counts more than 600 documentaries and 8 million worldwide subscribers, has launched “60 Second Docs Official Selection,” a new vertical for which it will acquire and distribute a curated selection of short documentaries, ranging from 3 to 30 minutes in length, that will stream on the platform in their original length.
The new vertical, which literally expands on the platform’s mandate to curate minute-long docs, launches Thursday with the first titles The Magic of Chess, directed by Jenny Schweitzer Bell, and Lost Weekend from Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb. New titles will be added biweekly to the platform that lives on Facebook, YouTube, and Igtv, with the titles to be promoted across Stories, Instagram and Twitter.
“In keeping with our goals of being the top destination for storytelling about the world’s most interesting characters at any length, we’re thrilled to be able to introduce our...
The new vertical, which literally expands on the platform’s mandate to curate minute-long docs, launches Thursday with the first titles The Magic of Chess, directed by Jenny Schweitzer Bell, and Lost Weekend from Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb. New titles will be added biweekly to the platform that lives on Facebook, YouTube, and Igtv, with the titles to be promoted across Stories, Instagram and Twitter.
“In keeping with our goals of being the top destination for storytelling about the world’s most interesting characters at any length, we’re thrilled to be able to introduce our...
- 2/13/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Have a look at the first teaser trailer for Jasper Mall, the new doc from Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb. We've written of the directors before and their recent film A Life in Waves, a film about electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani. Jasper Mall follows a year in the life of a dying shopping mall and it just had its world premiere at Slamdance over the weekend. The first teaser trailer was released to mark the occasion. Have a look below. Jasper Mall chronicles a year in the life of a dying shopping mall, its patrons, and its tenants. There’s no denying retro malls are having a moment. Between the setting of the new season of “Stranger Things” and the countless videos of...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/30/2020
- Screen Anarchy
In the small town of Jasper, Alabama, a mall clings on to existence. Jasper Mall opened its doors in 1983 with a JCPenny and K-Mart functioning as its anchor stores to pull in customers. At the time it thrived, with full parking lots and packed crowds every weekend. Today, it’s on life support. The flagship stores are gone, the mall’s design appears untouched from its glory days, and only a few businesses remain open. Directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb filmed the mall over the span of a year to make Jasper Mall, which looks at this little piece of dying real estate as a symbol for America’s changing cultural landscape.
The first person we see is the mall’s manager, Mike, who used to run a zoo for 25 years. He spends his days walking throughout the property, managing his skeleton crew while cleaning up the place and...
The first person we see is the mall’s manager, Mike, who used to run a zoo for 25 years. He spends his days walking throughout the property, managing his skeleton crew while cleaning up the place and...
- 1/26/2020
- by C.J. Prince
- The Film Stage
In 1984, a man named Kurt Jefferis nearly partied to death with Van Halen. Jefferis was the winner of MTV’s “Lost Weekend” contest and his prize was a few days of debauchery on the road with the Eighties metal legends. The promotion was a massive success for MTV, which aired much of the mayhem, including the moment Van Halen brought Jefferis on stage, smashed his face into a giant cake and showered him with champagne. But there was also plenty of footage not suitable for broadcast: Van Halen and their...
- 5/8/2019
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "Glow: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" Tweetable Logline: This documentary chronicles the rise and fall of the first ever all-female wrestling show through the stories of those who lived it. Elevator Pitch: "Glow: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" is the often hilarious, surprisingly touching story of the late-80s, cult-classic show, "Glow: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling." The film catches up with over twenty-five original "Glow girls" to uncover the history of this once hugely successful program, and to explore how the show affected the lives of these vibrant, dynamic women. Production Team: Director: Brett Whitcomb Writer/Editor: Bradford Thomason Producer:...
- 6/12/2012
- by Devin Lee Fuller
- Indiewire
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