Commissioned by documentary Channel, the feature length film is available for pre-sale opportunities via Blue Ant International
(Toronto, ON – January 15, 2019) – Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media production company specializing in globally relevant factual television, announced today production on its feature length documentary 9/11 Kids (1×78’; 4K and HD), commissioned by the documentary Channel. Blue Ant International will showcase the film at Realscreen 2019, now available for pre-sale opportunities outside of Canada. Delivery is scheduled for August 2019.
9/11 Kids is about a unique group of Americans: the 16 schoolchildren who were with President George W. Bush on the morning of September 11, 2001.
Many will remember the moment: a group of adorable second graders reading My Pet Goat to the President when all of a sudden White House Chief of Staff Andy Card hurries over and whispers to Bush: ”America is under attack.” Never before in history has the President been caught on camera at the exact moment he learns of something so momentous.
“The footage is utterly captivating to watch to this day,” observes Producer Steve Gamester, Saloon Media. “The look of shock and anger on Bush’s face. Members of his staff and the press watching nervously. Meanwhile, the kids keep reading. It’s like watching history on pause, right before the storm.”
The place was Emma E. Booker Elementary school in Sarasota, Florida. The kids, all six or seven years old, were chosen because they were some of the best readers at Booker, a place where test scores were way up compared to other schools in the district. It was the perfect place for Bush to promote his education program, No Child Left Behind. September 11, 2001 was supposed to be about education, these children, and hope for the future.
The film tracks down the kids today to find out what’s happened since. They are all in their mid-20s, trying to find their footing in a country and world that changed so much after 9/11. Their stories are narratively rich and diverse: some have been remarkably successful, while others have fallen on hard times and the film follows their struggle to overcome shocking personal tragedies.
They bore witness to the very moment a new American reality was born. They are the generation of Google, smart phones and Facebook, but also cyber-bullying, global terrorism and climate change. All of the former students are African-American or Latino in a country that will be a minority majority in less than 30 years.
“This film is about the 9/11 Generation and the American Dream,” says Jordana Ross, documentary Channel. “These children’s lives, like the country, were on one trajectory when they woke up that morning and by 9am everything had changed. 9/11 Kids provides a window into some of the most vital themes of the American experience: the spirit to succeed, issues of race and inequality, the state of public education and the impact of a national tragedy on the American psyche.”
The film, produced and created by Steve Gamester, was commissioned by documentary Channel’s Jordana Ross and Sandra Kleinfield. Elizabeth St. Philip serves as Director and Writer. Executive Producer for Saloon Media is Michael Kot.
Toronto-based Saloon Media is a creative hub for compelling new television and digital productions. The founding partners have a wealth of experience in broadcasting and factual production, and a track record for delivering successful and award-winning programs to international clients. Saloon’s productions have broadcast on History, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Investigation Discovery, CMT, SBS, ZDF, Yesterday, Four, MOre4, and Netflix. Saloon is a specialist in international co-production, working with like-minded production partners around the world to produce top quality returning series and high-impact specials. saloonmedia.com
Blue Ant Media is a privately held, international content producer, distributor and channel operator. From our production houses around the world, we create content for multiple genres including factual, factual entertainment, short-form digital series and kids programming. Our distribution business, Blue Ant International, offers a catalogue of 3,000+ hours of content, including the largest 4K natural history offering on the market. Blue Ant Media’s international channel business offers a portfolio of media brands such as Love Nature (International), ZooMoo Networks (International), Smithsonian Channel Canada, BBC Earth (Canada), Blue Ant Entertainment (International), Blue Ant Extreme (International) and HGTV (New Zealand). Blue Ant Media is headquartered in Toronto, with operations in Los Angeles, Singapore, Auckland, Dunedin, London, Washington, Sydney, Beijing and Taipei. blueantmedia.com
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documentary Channel is Canada’s signature destination for provocative, thoughtful, and entertaining factual programming. Canada’s only documentary channel, it brings viewers documentary programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These slices of life explore the wild, weird, wacky fascinating stories of Canada and the world. www.documentarychannel.ca
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