“Those were revolutionary times.” Screen Media has released an official trailer for acclaimed documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, directed by the doc filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom). This premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival this year, and will be arriving in theaters + on VOD soon. The film chronicles the improbable origins and expansion of the groundbreaking show that not only changed children’s TV, but it also had real-world effects on equality, education, and representation. Inspired by Michael Davis’ best-selling book of the same name. With more than 20 interviews with original writers, cast, and crew, and never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, Street Gang is told from the inside with humor and emotion, weaving together personal narratives and eyewitness accounts. The film explores the original mission of the “gang” that created this cultural phenomenon, now spanning 50-plus years and reaching more than 150 countries. Whether or not you’re a fan of the show, this is a wonderful doc to enjoy.
Trailer (+ poster) for Marilyn Agrelo’s doc Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, on YouTube:
Inspired by the activism of the late 1960s, socially conscious television executive Joan Ganz Cooney and the Sesame Workshop co-founder Lloyd Morrisett conducted a revolutionary experiment: to harness the burgeoning power of television and create an educational, impactful, uplifting and entertaining show that could reach children nationwide, especially those living in urban areas. Cooney recruited trailblazing Muppets creator Jim Henson and acclaimed children’s television writer and director Jon Stone to craft the iconic and beloved world of “Sesame Street.” Street Gang reintroduces this visionary “gang” of mission-driven artists, writers, and educators that audaciously interpreted radical changes in society and created one of most influential and impactful television programs in history. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is directed by American doc filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo, of the doc Mad Hot Ballroom previously, as well as a few short films and some TV work. Based on the book “Street Gang” by Michael Davis. Produced by Lisa Diamond, Mark Myers, Trevor Crafts & Ellen Scherer Crafts. This first premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Screen Media Film will debut Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street in select US theaters on April 23rd, 2021, then on VOD starting May 7th coming up. Who wants to watch?
