Join us for a screening and discussion of this documentary film that explores the drama and complexities behind producing international versions of the world’s most popular children’s television program. Created in cooperation with the show itself, The World According to Sesame Street illustrates how social impact can come from the most seemingly unlikely sources, including a team of Muppets. Stay after the screening for a conversation with the Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton.
In The World According to Sesame Street, we follow three producers from the Sesame Street Workshop to Bangladesh, Kosovo, and South Africa where they localize the world’s most-watched children’s television program with indigenous songs, puppets, and curricula. The cultural and production challenges they face reflect the complex political struggles of each country. Education is always more than alphabets and numbers, and the contradictions inherent in teaching human values in a world where AIDS, ethnic genocide, and poverty dominate the landscape make this film a must-see for anyone interested in intercultural dialogue.
A discussion with Director Linda Goldstein Knowlton will follow the screening. Free program and free popcorn!
More about Linda Goldstein Knowlton…
Filmmaker/Director/Producer
Born and raised in Chicago, Linda Goldstein Knowlton makes her directorial debut with The World According to Sesame Street. Previously, she produced the New Zealand film Whale Rider, which was the winner of Audience Awards at Toronto, Sundance, Rotterdam, Seattle, San Francisco and Maui film festivals. In January 2004, Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film. Prior to that, Goldstein Knowlton initiated the development of The Shipping News after reading the novel in galley form in 1993 and then produced the 2001-released film, starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore and Judy Dench. She made her feature film producing debut in 1999 with both Mumford, written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan and Crazy in Alabama, directed by Antonio Banderas.
This event is part of the In The K/Now series, brought to you bythe Chicago History Museum, in conjunction with The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council. In The K/Now is a monthly series that will explore the issues that Chicago residents continue to face living in an urban society. The confluence of diverse populations along with the continuous physical growth of the built environment introduces tension as differing cultures, beliefs, priorities, and visions for an urban society meet. Through In the K/Now, the Chicago History Museum will be responsive to the events and issues that headline local papers and news, those discussed at bus stops, community centers, neighborhood parks, corner bars, grocery stores, and coffee shops.
In the K/Now is made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Illinois Humanities Council and the Illinois General Assembly. Special thanks to Independent Television Service.
Reservations can be made on-line or by phone at 312.642.4600.