Butterfly in the Sky tells the story of the beloved PBS children's series "Reading Rainbow," its iconic host LeVar Burton, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television.
Touring with the Film
Bradford Thomason (Co-director / Editor) is an award-winning director, editor, and producer. His narrative focus includes archive-rich nostalgic portraits of pop-culture past and observational snapshots of underexplored cultures. His feature documentary directing credits include "Butterfly in the Sky" (2022) which premiered at Tribeca Festival and "Jasper Mall" (2020) which premiered at Slamdance. His editing/producing credits include “GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” (2012), the inspiring story of the first female wrestling troupe on television, and “A Life in Waves” (2017), which explores the life and career of composer and electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani.
Dava Whisenant (Executive Producer / Consulting Editor) wrote & directed Focus Features' critically-acclaimed musical comedy BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY, for which she won a WGA Award for Best Documentary Screenplay as well as Tribeca Film Fest's Best New Documentary Director award. Dava has worked in both narrative & nonfiction film for over 20 years, with an emphasis on music and comedy. In addition to doing her own scripted and documentary projects, Dava also assists other filmmakers as a producer and story consultant. Recent collaborations include the new Reading Rainbow documentary BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY (Tribeca Film Festival), SXSW Award Winner THE PEZ OUTLAW, FX's doc HYSTERICAL about female stand-up comedians, and an upcoming documentary about songwriting icon Diane Warren. She also co-edited NatGeo's Oscar-shortlisted and Emmy-nominated doc short THE FLAGMAKERS. Dava is a member of American Cinema Editors (ACE), the WGA, and the Television Academy.
Schedule
Georgia Circuit with Bradford Thomason (Co-director / Editor)
Sunday, February 4, 2024: Atlanta, GA - Plaza Atlanta and Fox Theatre, Atlanta
Monday, February 5, 2024: Roswell, GA - City of Roswell, GA
Tuesday, February 6, 2024: Lawrenceville, GA - Aurora Theatre
Thursday, February 8, 2024: Rome, GA - Rome International Film Festival and Berry College
Friday, February 9, 2024: Hapeville, GA - City of Hapeville
Kentucky - Tennessee Circuit with Dava Whisenant (Executive Producer / Consulting Editor)
Tuesday, February 6, 2024: Lexington, KY - The Living Arts & Science Center
Thursday, February 8, 2024: Bowling Green, KY - Western Kentucky University
Friday, February 9, 2024: Nashville, TN - Global Education Center
Alabama - Louisiana - Mississippi Circuit with Bradford Thomason (Co-director / Editor)
Sunday, February 11, 2024: Jackson, MS - Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Monday, February 12, 2024: Alexandria, LA - Arts Council of Central Louisiana
Tuesday, February 13, 2024: Cleveland, MS - Bologna Performing Arts Center, Delta State University
Wednesday, February 14, 2024: Birmingham, AL - Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema
Thursday, February 15, 2024: Hanceville, AL - Burrow Museum at Wallace State Community College