On Wednesday, May 1, Bernice King, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed visited Hallmark Channel’s “The Watsons Go To Birmingham;” currently in production in Atlanta. Premiere slated for Friday, September 20 8pm EST/PST, 7C.
“We were thrilled and honored to have Bernice King and Kasim Reed visit our set. Their interest in and presence at our filming affirms for us the importance of telling this family story during a pivotal time in our country’s history,” said Nikki Silver and Tonya Lewis Lee, executive producers, “The Watsons Go To Birmingham.”
An adaptation of Christopher Paul Curtis’ 1996 Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor Award winning book The Watsons Go To Birmingham 1963, published by Random House Children’s Books, “The Watsons Go To Birmingham” follows a family’s road trip from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960’s, where the experiences they all encounter give them a newfound courage to stand up for what is right and helps them grow stronger as a family in the process.
The film will be part of Hallmark Channel’s new Friday night appointment viewing franchise, “Walden Family Theater,” which is created in collaboration with Wal-Mart Procter & Gamble, award-winning family entertainment producer Walden Media (“The Chronicles Of Narnia,” “Bridge To Terabithia,” “Holes”) and fast-growing independent studio ARC Entertainment.
This week marks the 50th Anniversary of The Children’s Crusade where hundreds of school students in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2, May 3, May 4, and May 5, 1963, peacefully marched during the Civil Rights Movement’s Birmingham Campaign. This scene will appear in the movie and was being filmed yesterday.
Nikki Silver and Tonya Lewis Lee serve as executive producers, produced by Phil Kleinbart, written by Tonya Lewis Lee and directed by Kenny Leon.
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