CIFF

Butterfly in the Sky

directed by
Bradford Thomason
directed by
Brett Whitcomb
year
2022
country
USA
language
English
runtime
87
closed captions
No
audio description
No
english subtitles
No

PBS’ Reading Rainbow, which ran for 23 years, 155 episodes, and inspired millions of children to “take a look, it’s in a book,” gets the documentary treatment in this marvelous movie about the ins and outs of one of the most important television programs of all time. —M.G.


For 26 seasons, PBS’s Reading Rainbow met young viewers in their living rooms and whisked them away on far-off adventures into the boundless world of books. With the help of celebrity narrators and nine-year-old book reviewers, the show’s iconic host, LeVar Burton, brought real-life lessons and honest conversations to life in a way we had never before seen on screen. Despite ongoing funding hurdles and new public school testing standards, Burton and the show’s creators held tight to their authentic, down-to-earth approach to fuel kids’ lifelong love of reading. Inspiring and nostalgic, BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY tells the tale of a revolutionary reading movement. Reliving the show’s legacy is a refreshing return to the written page. But you don’t have to take my word for it. —A.B.


OPENING NIGHT FILM


GUEST(S) ARE SCHEDULED TO BE IN ATTENDANCE FOR Q&A

Teen-Friendly Films
Family Films
Black Cinema
Only at Playhouse Square
Ad Hoc Docs Competition

Community Partners

Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Reads