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Higher Ground Productions, Barack Obama and production company Michelle Obama, in partnership with Netflix, unveiled a set of projects including the adaptation of Michael Lewis's film "The Fifth Risk", a biopic by Frederick Douglass, and a play by dramatic theater of Callie Khouri.
The content includes a range of scripted and non-scripted projects for different audiences, as well as feature films and documentaries. Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis, the co-leaders of the organization, revealed the news on Tuesday.
The announcement includes seven projects that are currently in various stages of development and will be published in the coming years:
"American Factory" was acquired by Netflix in association with Higher Ground Productions at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019, where it won the American Documentary Award. According to Participant Media, the film is directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert ("The Last Truck: Closure of a GM Plant", "A Lion in the House," "Seeing in Red"). The film plunges deep into post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the wake of an abandoned General Motors factory and hires 2,000 US passes. The early days of hope and optimism are giving way to setbacks as China's high-tech is bumping into America's working class. Bognar produces alongside Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert and Julie Parker Benello.
"Bloom" is an upscale theatrical series set in the fashion world in New York City after the Second World War. It describes the barriers faced by women and people of color in times of both barriers and progress. It is written and produced by Khouri ("Nashville", "Thelma and Louise"), from an idea developed by Khouri, writer-director Clement Virgo ("The Book Of Negroes", "The Wire", "Empire") and novelist and producer Juliana Maio ("The City of the Sun"). Higher Ground Productions, Khouri, Virgo and Maio will produce the series.
Higher Ground produces an adaptation of the feature film "Frederick Douglass: The Prophet of Freedom" by author David W. Blight, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for History 2019.
Adapted from the obituary of New York Times Overlooked, telling the story of remarkable people whose deaths have not been reported by the newspaper, Higher Ground develops "Overlooked" as a series of scripted anthologies with producers Liza Chasin of 3dot Productions and Joy Gorman Wettels of Anonymous Content.
For family shows, "Listen to your vegetables and eat your parents" will be a half-hour preschool series, created by creators Jeremy Konner ("Drunk History") and Erika Thormahlen. The show will take young children and their families from around the world on an adventure that will tell us the story of our food.
From Lewis, the author of "The Big Short" and "Moneyball", inspired from his book "The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy," "Fifth Risk," a non-fiction series, will describe the importance of unannounced work done by everyday heroes guiding our government and protecting our country.
"Crip Camp" is a documentary feature film in production supported by the Sundance Institute and acquired earlier this year by Higher Ground and Netflix. Just at the end of Woodstock Street, in the early 1970s, a parallel revolution developed in a dilapidated summer camp for disabled teens, which would set in motion the disability rights movement. . The film is directed by former camper Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham. Producers include Newnham, LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, along with executive producer Howard Gertler.
The Obamas launched Higher Ground last spring and the company plans to make further announcements in the coming months.
"We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling. That's why we could not be more excited about these projects, "said Barack Obama. "With regard to issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and so much more, we are convinced that each of these productions will not entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire all."
"We love this slate because it covers a lot of different interests and experiences, yet everything is woven with stories relevant to our daily lives," said Michelle Obama. "We think there is something for everyone – moms and dads, curious kids and anyone who just wants an engaging and uplifting watch at the end of a busy day. We look forward to seeing these projects take shape and the discussions they will generate. "
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