Press Contact: Teri L. Sullivan
WKNO/Channel 10
(901) 729-8735
tlsullivan@wkno.org
February 1, 2011
For Immediate Release
WKNO Presents Documentary on Infant Mortality
This February, WKNO presents a timely encore presentation of Beyond Babyland, the 2010 documentary on infant mortality in the Mid-South. Its directors, David Appleby and Craig Leake, were recently honored with a regional Emmy Award for writing the film. Beyond Babyland airs Thursday, February 3 at 9:00 p.m. on WKNO/Channel 10, and repeats on WKNO2 Friday, February 4 at 9:00 p.m.
Recently, Memphis has made national news with stories focused on high rates of teen pregnancy, but the related issue of maternal health and infant mortality has been high on the priority lists of many of this community’s leaders. The Commercial Appeal has published several articles over the last couple years explaining that Memphis has the highest infant mortality rate in the country, specifically in the zip code of 38108.
Created by award-winning local filmmakers David Appleby and Craig Leake, and three years in the making, Beyond Babyland explores the issue, asks why Memphis has such a legacy, and looks at many of the people and organizations working to turn around this tide and make a positive impact in our community.
The film goes to the heart of the problem, exploring three of the city’s poorest zip codes and meeting the people living there. It’s a difficult film to watch, pulling no punches as it seeks to understand the culture of poverty and teen pregnancy that contributes to this health crisis.
Both Craig Leake and David Appleby felt this film was a way to explore an issue of national importance while looking at some of the most basic problems of poverty in the Mid-South. Said Leake “Sometimes when we talk about the poor population, it’s easy to say that it’s their own fault. It’s harder to say that when you look at infants just trying to make it to their first birthday.”
“We like to talk about One Memphis,” said David Appleby, “but the reality is that we’re not all in the same boat. Some people need more help than others. The question for us is, where is that help going to come from?”
Appleby and Leake are both accomplished filmmakers with The University of Memphis, having won several prestigious filmmaking awards: Emmys, George Foster Peabody Awards, CINE Golden Eagles, among others. Two of Appleby’s award-winning films - At the River I Stand and Hoxie: The First Stand – have aired on WKNO. Leake’s recent film The Chemo Ate My Homework also aired on WKNO.
Production of Beyond Babyland was supported by the Urban Child Institute and the University of Memphis. WKNO's broadcast of the film is made possible by Dr. Allison Stiles, the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, and Baptist Women's Hospital.
WKNO is a non-profit, private foundation serving the Mid-South for more than 50 years. An important community resource, WKNO uses the power of non-commercial public broadcasting to provide the Mid-South with quality educational and cultural programs that inform, entertain, and inspire. For more information: wkno.org
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