Netflix celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with a new documentary by Brian Knappenberger.
The streamer will premiere a five-part documentary about the founding and future of democracy in the United States The American experience On June 24. The film features interviews with former and current lawmakers, former vice presidents and Cabinet members, a former Supreme Court justice, historians, tribal leaders and military experts. The film is being marketed as a nuanced look at how America grappled with some early contradictions as it sought to form a new kind of government.
Former Vice Presidents Al Gore, Mike Pence, and Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Senators Ted Cruz, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Rand Paul, and Ron Wyden, US Representatives Jamie Raskin and Zoe Lofgren, and former US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, are just some of the profiled names that will appear in the documentary.
Similar to Ken Burns, the documentary will also feature voice actors as prominent historical figures, such as Martin Sheen who plays George Washington. According to Netflix, the documentary will cover the Revolutionary War, the drafting of the Constitution and the presidency of George Washington as it poses the question of whether this form of democracy can continue.
“The approaching 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States provides a unique opportunity to reflect on America’s founding and its future,” Adam Del Dio, vice president of documentary at Netflix, said in a statement. “The American Experience presents an expansive dialogue about how American democracy has been built, challenged, and reimagined over the course of nearly two and a half centuries. By revisiting the origins of this experience at such a pivotal moment, the series invites audiences to consider not just where America has been, but where it might go next.”
Director Knappenberger has previously dealt with the First Amendment, the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War in documentaries including No One Speaks: The Trials of a Free Press, The turning point: September 11 and the war on terror, The Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War and Turning Point: The Vietnam War.
He has also overseen a range of stories about hacking and the criminal justice system such as The Internet’s Own Boy: The Aaron Swartz Story, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez and The Make Believe Network: Death, Lies, and the Internet.
The American experience Produced by Tom Hanks’ Playtone and Luminant and executive produced by Knappenberger, Hanks, Sarah Huisenga and Gary Goetzman.
