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| Released | 2021 |
| Duration | 107 minutes |
| Director | Marilyn Agrelo |
| Music | T. Griffin |
| Studio | Macrocosm Entertainment |
Street Gang production team: Heather Kenyon, Mark Myers, Matt Daley, Marah Strauch, Michael Davis, and Trevor Crafts.
Street Gang - Official Trailer
Official trailer
Teaser poster
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, originally titled simply Street Gang, is a Sesame Street documentary based on the book of the same name by Michael Davis. Much like the book, the documentary focuses on the creation of the Children's Television Workshop and the development of Sesame Street during the first 20 years of the show.
The film was first announced in 2016, with Marah Strauch originally attached to direct.[1] Funding for the production was partially raised from an Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign, which offered customized Sesame Street perks. When the campaign launched, the film was expected to have "a late 2017 or early 2018 release."[2] In Fall 2018, the U.S. streaming and broadcast rights were acquired by HBO and the worldwide rights by Focus Features.[3] The film's release date was later pushed back to 2019,[4] then 2020.[5]
In December 2020, WarnerMedia announced that the film, releasing under HBO's Documentary Films unit and gaining the subtitle "How We Got to Sesame Street," would air on the network and be available to stream on HBO Max in 2021.[6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film made its nationwide online world premiere on January 30, 2021 at the Sundance Film Festival, with a second screening on February 1. Geoblocking was set to keep the event limited to US audiences only.[7] Ahead of the film's Sundance premiere, the U.S. theatrical and home entertainment rights were acquired by Screen Media. The film was later announced for screenings around the country beginning April 23, followed by an on-demand release on May 7.[8][9]
The film's Sundance premiere was followed by a publicly available Q&A session with the filmmakers (YouTube), as well as one of the festival's Cinema Café interviews featuring Sonia Manzano and Rita Moreno, both reminiscing about their careers and collaborations. (YouTube)
Interviewees
- Christopher Cerf, Roscoe Orman, Sonia Manzano, Kate Stone Lucas, Polly Stone, Joan Ganz Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett, Sharon Lerner, Lisa Henson, Brian Henson, Frank Biondo, Bob McGrath, Holly Robinson Peete, Matt Robinson, Jr., Dolores Robinson, Fran Brill, Emilio Delgado, Caroll Spinney, Oscar the Grouch, Nick Raposo, Norman Stiles
- Archival footage interviewees: Jon Stone, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Ernie and Bert, Joe Raposo
Credits
- Director: Marilyn Agrelo
- Produced by Trevor Crafts and Ellen Scherer Crafts
- Producer: Lisa Diamond
- Executive Producers: Lisa Heller, Nancy Abraham, Brian O'Shea, Nat McCormick, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Mark Myers
- Co-Executive Producer: Michael Davis
- Director of Photography: Luke Geissbühler
- Editor: Ben Gold
- Original Soundtrack Composed by T. Griffin
- Archival Producer: Rich Remsberg
- Associate Editor: Gil Choi
Screenings
- Sundance Film Festival — Salt Lake City, UT, but streaming nationwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic (January 30, and February 1, 2021)
Sources
- ↑ ‘Sesame Street’ Docu ‘Street Gang’ Coming From ‘Sunshine Superman’ Director Marah Strauch, Deadline.com, April 1, 2016.
- ↑ IndieGogo "FAQ: About Street Gang"
- ↑ Variety: "Sesame Street Doc ‘Street Gang’ Picked Up by HBO, Focus Features", November 5, 2018.
- ↑ Poster from their official website
- ↑ @StreetGangMovie bio on Twitter: "COMING IN 2020!", accessed October 23, 2019
- ↑ WarnerMedia Pressroom Media Release - "HBO Documentary Films to Debut STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET in 2021", December 8, 2020
- ↑ Sundance.org - STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET
- ↑ Variety: "‘Sesame Street’ Documentary Sold to Screen Media, Heads to Sundance", December 18, 2020.
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly: Watch the trailer for heartwarming Sesame Street documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, April 6, 2021.
