MSNBC doc series on Phillip Pannell shooting - ‘Model America’ - to air Sept. 18
MSNBC Films presents an Anchor Entertainment, Psycho Films, and NBC News Studios Production, Model America, an explosive 4-part series that dissects America’s complicated relationship with race through the lens of the people of Teaneck, New Jersey, a “racial utopia” turned unlikely ground zero for the modern Black Lives Matter Movement. The series will debut Sunday, September 18th at 10pm ET on MSNBC.
Co-directed by Michelle Major and Dani Goffstein, the series features interviews with 16-year-old Phillip Pannell’s family, Civil Rights Activist and host of MSNBC’s PoliticsNation Rev. Al Sharpton, Senator Loretta Weinberg (Former New Jersey State Senator), Mike Kelly (author of Color Lines and an award-winning columnist for The (Bergen) Record of New Jersey, and members of the Teaneck, NJ community including former police officers and Teaneck’s former Mayor
Model America explores the aftermath of a devastating shooting on April 10, 1990 that shattered the facade and exposed deep-rooted divisions. Friends, family members and neighbors in Teaneck, NJ recall in intimate detail the day that 16-year-old Phillip Pannell was shot and killed by a white police officer, Gary Spath. In the immediate aftermath, rumors and misinformation about the shooting spread quickly and raised doubts about whether or not Teaneck is really the racial utopia it has claimed to be.
As the investigation gets underway, a central question emerges: was Phillip attempting to surrender when he was shot, or was he turning to fire his own gun at the officer? National Media and Civil Rights Leaders descended on Teaneck, amplifying the tensions in the community during the trail. The jury deliberated for nine hours before coming back with the verdict. While some had hoped that the trial and verdict would be the end of the case, 30 years later the Teaneck community still struggles with how to move forward. Many things have changed since 1990, and the Black Lives Matter movement has brought renewed momentum and a new lens through which to view Phillip's case.
Co-Directed by: Dani Goffstein (NJ based) and Michelle Major
Executive Producers (MSNBC Films): Amanda Spain, Rashida Jones
Executive Producers (NBC News Studios): : Elizabeth Fischer, Andy Berg, Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim
Executive Producers (Anchor): Ethan Goldman, Keayr Braxton
Executive Producers (Psycho Films): Sam Canter, Joe Weil, Eric Cook and Dani Goffstein
Executive Producers : Tyger Williams
Edited By: David Robinson, Clay Zimmerman, Kimberly Driscoll, Jake Torchin
Directors of Photography: Konstantin Lyubimov, Federico Tamburini, Henry Adebonojo, Kerwin Devonish, Sam Russell
Music By: Daniel Ciurlizza