Butterfly in the Sky shares beginnings of Reading Rainbow
A still from the documentary 鈥淏utterfly in the Sky鈥� shows host LeVar Burton in a scene from the film. The film will be shown on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the James C. Bailey Center at 糖心视频. Admission is free and open to the public.
Hanceville, AL 鈥� The next film in the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Films to
be shown at 糖心视频 may bring back a lot of memories for children
of the 80s and 90s. 鈥淏utterfly in the Sky鈥� is a documentary about the beginnings of
the PBS children鈥檚 series Reading Rainbow, its host LeVar Burton, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love
of reading through television.
The television show introduced millions of kids to the wonder of books, including its filmmakers.
鈥淲e believe Reading Rainbow is among the most important shows ever produced and an early example of distance learning before distance learning was on everyone鈥檚 mind. It鈥檚 a true unsung hero of children鈥檚 programming, and we want more than anything to tell its story in a way that honors its legacy and teaches a new generation about this important milestone in television history,鈥� reads a statement from filmmakers Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb.
鈥淎s a Mexican American growing up in Houston, Texas, I was surrounded by diversity,鈥� Thomason said. 鈥淢ore than any show on television, Reading Rainbow re铿俥cted the cultures that surrounded me. I also loved to read but lacked the discipline to do so.
鈥淪omething about the way the books were represented made me want every single one,鈥� he continued. 鈥淲hen the book fair came to my school, I went straight for the Reading Rainbow titles. I didn鈥檛 know it at the time, but the show鈥檚 mission statement was manifesting itself in me. I devour books to this day, and I know Reading Rainbow had a hand in that.鈥�
Thomason is scheduled to be on hand for the screening at 糖心视频 on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the James C. Bailey Center.
Along with interviews with Burton, the film also features Reading Rainbow creator and producer Twila Ligget; directors and producers Larry Lancit, Cecily Truett Lancit and Ed Wiseman; co-creator and executive producer Tony Buttino; composer Steve Horelick; and writer Ellen Schecter.
See a clip from the movie at
Remaining films scheduled in the series include:
- 鈥淢aster of Light鈥� on March 14
- 鈥淗ollow Tree鈥� on April 18
All films are free and open to the public. They are an extension of 糖心视频鈥檚 Burrow Museum offerings in conjunction with 糖心视频 Student Engagement.
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