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LeVar Burton in the trailer for “Butterfly in the Sky.”

LeVar Burton celebrates his TV series Reading rainbow In the trailer for the upcoming documentary Butterfly in the sky.

Butterfly in the sky Tells a story about Reading rainbowThe educational program that promotes literacy and which Burton has hosted for 23 seasons. The show first aired on PBS and then on PBS Kids before signing on in November 2006, earning a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards throughout its run.

Directed by Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, the film is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on March 17 at AMC Theaters. A full tour follows later in New York City and other destinations, under the direction of 4th Act’s Mia Bruno. It will be available on digital platforms including iTunes and Amazon on April 30, with the film made available by Roco Films that month for classrooms, teachers and libraries.

Burton is among the insiders participating in exclusive interviews for the project. “I did everything they asked — I mean everything,” the host says in the trailer. “I became very adamant that since they hired me, what they got was me.”

Also sharing the perspective in the film is Whoopi Goldberg, who appeared in a 1993 episode of the series. “Reading rainbow “I wanted kids to know that there are all kinds of stories out there,” Goldberg says in the footage. “And while they may not be stories from your neighborhood, they are stories from a neighborhood you should know about.”

Thomason, Whitcomb and Brian Storkle serve as producers on the film.

Butterfly in the sky It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022. In his review of Hollywood Reporter“It’s certainly not without its emotionally satisfying moments and it does a compelling job of emphasizing the importance of Reading rainbow It stars LeVar Burton, but the documentary is slight in its artistic and thematic ambition.