Approximately 200,000 New York City public school students are dyslexic, yet there is no public initiative that provides the specialized skill and care necessary for these learners.
Frustrated that they had to remove their own kids from the public school system, a group of determined moms band together to do something that’s never been done before – open New York City’s first public school for dyslexic students. The journey is not a smooth ride, and they face both institutional and personal hurdles as they try to upend a system .
A new mayoral candidate bolsters their fight after he reveals his own dyslexia. But will they be able to convince a bureaucratic education system to overhaul outdated politics to ensure a brighter future for the city’s dyslexic youth?
DIRECTOR ANNA TOOMEY
Anna Toomey an Emmy Award-winning producer with 20 years of experience. She has worked for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News’ long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She creates compelling, character-driven stories with passion and integrity.
Anna’s credits include Emmy Award-winning The Gun Fight, an inside look at the National Rifle Association, as well as The American Game, The Century and The Beatles Anthology.
As a producer on the six-part series In the Jury Room, Anna spent months in the field covering murder trials and combing through hours of footage to develop an intriguing story line, which culminated in a prime time six-hour series aired on ABC News.
Anna won two Daytime Emmy Awards at Good Morning America. She directed multiple camera shoots, including a roundtable discussion with Robin Roberts and Sheryl Sandberg for her book Lean In. She also produced a series of breast cancer awareness segments, including ABC News Correspondent Amy Robach’s emotional journey after her diagnosis.
Anna lives in New York with her husband and two children. She owns her own production company, Sandy Dog Productions.
Frustrated that they had to remove their own kids from the public school system, a group of determined moms band together to do something that’s never been done before – open New York City’s first public school for dyslexic students. The journey is not a smooth ride, and they face both institutional and personal hurdles as they try to upend a system .
A new mayoral candidate bolsters their fight after he reveals his own dyslexia. But will they be able to convince a bureaucratic education system to overhaul outdated politics to ensure a brighter future for the city’s dyslexic youth?
DIRECTOR ANNA TOOMEY
Anna Toomey an Emmy Award-winning producer with 20 years of experience. She has worked for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News’ long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She creates compelling, character-driven stories with passion and integrity.
Anna’s credits include Emmy Award-winning The Gun Fight, an inside look at the National Rifle Association, as well as The American Game, The Century and The Beatles Anthology.
As a producer on the six-part series In the Jury Room, Anna spent months in the field covering murder trials and combing through hours of footage to develop an intriguing story line, which culminated in a prime time six-hour series aired on ABC News.
Anna won two Daytime Emmy Awards at Good Morning America. She directed multiple camera shoots, including a roundtable discussion with Robin Roberts and Sheryl Sandberg for her book Lean In. She also produced a series of breast cancer awareness segments, including ABC News Correspondent Amy Robach’s emotional journey after her diagnosis.
Anna lives in New York with her husband and two children. She owns her own production company, Sandy Dog Productions.
https://www.leftbehindthefilm.com/
“Powerful…Inspiring…Left Behind is an urgent call to action to help dyslexic kids.”
– Anderson Cooper, CNN
“One of the best truly political documentaries of this or any other year.”
– DOMINIC PATTEN, DEADLINE
New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA -- Abramorama announced they have acquired North American theatrical rights to the documentary Left Behind, directed by Emmy Award winner Anna Toomey and produced by David Beal, Emmy Award winner Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr.
A film awards contender this year, Left Behind will kick off the theatrical release on January 17, 2025, with a week-long engagement at NYC’s QUAD Cinema. The film will expand to select theaters nationwide thereafter.
This gripping new feature documentary tells the story of five tenacious mothers determined to establish the first public school in New York City for children with dyslexia. Addressing a learning disability that impacts an estimated 200,000 students in NYC, and roughly 20% of the public at large, the mothers’ struggle to upend the nation’s largest public school system and garner support to open the South Bronx Literacy Academy in September 2023.
The world premiere festival screening of Left Behind was held at the 25th annual Woodstock Film Festival this October, followed by a Q&A hosted by one of the film’s executive producers Juju Chang (Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline). Producer Larry Mullen, Jr. was also in attendance for the Q&A. Mullen Jr. collaborated with GAYLE to create an original song for the film, “Between The Lines”. The Metropolis Competition screening in NYC is set for November 20 & 21 as part of DOC NYC, with screenings at Village East by Angelika and IFC Center. Tickets and more information here.
Director Anna Toomey stated, “Our goal for this film has always been reaching the most number of viewers; partnering with the Abramorama team to bring this film to theaters will allow us to shed light on this important issue. It is a travesty that so many struggling readers are left behind and able unable to reach their full potential. This film is deeply personal to me and all of the filmmakers involved and we hope that by bringing awareness to this issue we can change the lives of millions of kids across the country and the world. ”
Producers added, “We were honored to take this journey with Anna Toomey on her first film. Anna’s incredible passion for this story, combined with the drive of the moms and the authentic power of Larry and GAYLE’s song makes this a remarkable film. Abramorama is the perfect theatrical distributor for this film.”
Left Behind was produced by Green Hummingbird Entertainment’s David Beal and Sian Edwards-Beal and Velvet Strand’s Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr. Executive Producers Juju Chang (ABC Nightline co-anchor), actor Jean Reno and his wife, producer/philanthropist Zofia Moreno, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Dan and Stephanie Fougere. Screenwriting by Karen K. H. Sim, director of photography James Fideler, composers Olivier Manchon and Clare Manchon, editor Brittany Kaplan and two original songs by Larry Mullen Jr. and David Baron, “Between the Lines" written with GAYLE and Reed Berin and "One of Us” featuring Donna Lewis.
Abramorama CEO Karol Martesko-Fenster shared, “We are thrilled to work with Anna Toomey, the dedicated producing team, and the extended support groups behind Left Behind, who have collaborated to bring this important subject into the foreground. We’ve seen the film’s conversation-starting power at festivals and special screenings and are looking forward to sharing the film widely and have it inspire many more conversations leading to needed changes.”
Along with the establishment of The South Bronx Literacy Academy, New York City has now committed to opening additional schools focused on struggling readers through the Literacy Academy Collective. It has also begun to provide individual dyslexia testing for students. In recent years, successful people across a range of professions have come forward to share their personal struggles with dyslexia and inspire others. Among them are Anderson Cooper, Salma Hayek, Steven Spielberg, Gwen Stefani, Tim Tebow, Tom Cruise, Octavia Spencer and more. Many dyslexics cite ‘thinking differently’ as a personal superpower for creativity and thinking outside the box.
LEFT BEHIND (USA) 74 minutes, English - Abramorama Presents a Green Hummingbird Entertainment and Velvet Strand Production of an Anna Toomey Film “Left Behind”. Animation by IKARTOONS. Writer Karen K H Sim. Director of Photography James Fideler. Editor Brittany Kaplan. Executive Producers Juju Chang, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Dan Fougere, Stephanie Fougere, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Zofia Moreno & Jean Reno. Producers Anna Toomey, Mari Keiko-Gonzalez, ACE. Produced by David Beal, Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell, Larry Mullen Jr. Original Score by Olivier Manchon, Clare Manchon. Original Song by Larry Mullen Jr. & GAYLE. Directed by Anna Toomey. An Abramorama North American Theatrical Release. For more information visit www.leftbehindthefilm.com.
* * *
ABOUT LEFT BEHIND
Did you know that 1 out of 5 people have dyslexia? How about that 47-50% of incarcerated people have dyslexia? Left Behind gives eye-opening insight into the ways that the public school system ignores the needs of students with learning disabilities and, in doing so, contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. No matter how much a person may stand by the power and importance of public schools, there’s just no disputing that the current public education system is not built to help students with learning disabilities to succeed or thrive, and just about every single dyslexia-centered school in the country is privately-owned. Anna Toomey’s gripping documentary chronicles a group of advocates in their struggle to start New York City’s first public school for dyslexia. For more info - www.leftbehindthefilm.com
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Anna Toomey is an independent filmmaker who started her career as an Emmy Award-winning producer for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She worked on projects including The Gun Fight, an inside look at the NRA, The Century, Beatles Anthology, and the six-part series In the Jury Room. Anna developed and directed her first feature length independent documentary Left Behind after her son was diagnosed with dyslexia and she discovered the inadequate resources for millions of children across the country.
ABOUT GREEN HUMMINGBIRD ENTERTAINMENT
Green Hummingbird Entertainment is a boutique studio based in New York and London with co-heads David Beal (former President of National Geographic Entertainment and Palm Pictures) and Emmy Award winning producer Sian Edwards-Beal. With a global development slate, Green Hummingbird is focused on inspirational, thought-provoking entertainment and telling heroic stories that harness the power of music.
ABOUT VELVET STRAND
Velvet Strand is the production company of Irish musician and actor Larry Mullen Jr. and American producer Chris Farrell. Velvet Strand looks to collaborate with filmmakers to bring surprising or unknown stories to the screen, particularly those which celebrate artists and musicians or those seeking to make a positive impact.
ABOUT ABRAMORAMA
Abramorama is a leading innovator in worldwide event cinema, theatrical distribution, marketing and rights management for nonfiction, narrative and music films. For more than 20 years Abramorama has provided strategic services to Intellectual Property owners including filmmakers, networks, record labels, platforms and artists including The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Melanie Martinez, Laurie Anderson, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, National Geographic, AARP, Apple, Amazon, HBO, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, and Sony, among others. Abramorama is expert at maximizing reach, engagement and Impact ROI for films created for target audiences. Abramorama creates a unique distribution and audience development plan for each title, engaging a global network of cinemas, digital media outlets, and marketing partners. For more information, visit abramorama.com.
PRESS CONTACT
Adam J. Segal • The 2050 Group - Publicity
212.642.4317 (Office) • 202.422.4673 (Cell)
adam@the2050group.com
“Powerful…Inspiring…Left Behind is an urgent call to action to help dyslexic kids.”
– Anderson Cooper, CNN
“One of the best truly political documentaries of this or any other year.”
– DOMINIC PATTEN, DEADLINE
New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA -- Abramorama announced they have acquired North American theatrical rights to the documentary Left Behind, directed by Emmy Award winner Anna Toomey and produced by David Beal, Emmy Award winner Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr.
A film awards contender this year, Left Behind will kick off the theatrical release on January 17, 2025, with a week-long engagement at NYC’s QUAD Cinema. The film will expand to select theaters nationwide thereafter.
This gripping new feature documentary tells the story of five tenacious mothers determined to establish the first public school in New York City for children with dyslexia. Addressing a learning disability that impacts an estimated 200,000 students in NYC, and roughly 20% of the public at large, the mothers’ struggle to upend the nation’s largest public school system and garner support to open the South Bronx Literacy Academy in September 2023.
The world premiere festival screening of Left Behind was held at the 25th annual Woodstock Film Festival this October, followed by a Q&A hosted by one of the film’s executive producers Juju Chang (Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline). Producer Larry Mullen, Jr. was also in attendance for the Q&A. Mullen Jr. collaborated with GAYLE to create an original song for the film, “Between The Lines”. The Metropolis Competition screening in NYC is set for November 20 & 21 as part of DOC NYC, with screenings at Village East by Angelika and IFC Center. Tickets and more information here.
Director Anna Toomey stated, “Our goal for this film has always been reaching the most number of viewers; partnering with the Abramorama team to bring this film to theaters will allow us to shed light on this important issue. It is a travesty that so many struggling readers are left behind and able unable to reach their full potential. This film is deeply personal to me and all of the filmmakers involved and we hope that by bringing awareness to this issue we can change the lives of millions of kids across the country and the world. ”
Producers added, “We were honored to take this journey with Anna Toomey on her first film. Anna’s incredible passion for this story, combined with the drive of the moms and the authentic power of Larry and GAYLE’s song makes this a remarkable film. Abramorama is the perfect theatrical distributor for this film.”
Left Behind was produced by Green Hummingbird Entertainment’s David Beal and Sian Edwards-Beal and Velvet Strand’s Chris Farrell and Larry Mullen Jr. Executive Producers Juju Chang (ABC Nightline co-anchor), actor Jean Reno and his wife, producer/philanthropist Zofia Moreno, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Dan and Stephanie Fougere. Screenwriting by Karen K. H. Sim, director of photography James Fideler, composers Olivier Manchon and Clare Manchon, editor Brittany Kaplan and two original songs by Larry Mullen Jr. and David Baron, “Between the Lines" written with GAYLE and Reed Berin and "One of Us” featuring Donna Lewis.
Abramorama CEO Karol Martesko-Fenster shared, “We are thrilled to work with Anna Toomey, the dedicated producing team, and the extended support groups behind Left Behind, who have collaborated to bring this important subject into the foreground. We’ve seen the film’s conversation-starting power at festivals and special screenings and are looking forward to sharing the film widely and have it inspire many more conversations leading to needed changes.”
Along with the establishment of The South Bronx Literacy Academy, New York City has now committed to opening additional schools focused on struggling readers through the Literacy Academy Collective. It has also begun to provide individual dyslexia testing for students. In recent years, successful people across a range of professions have come forward to share their personal struggles with dyslexia and inspire others. Among them are Anderson Cooper, Salma Hayek, Steven Spielberg, Gwen Stefani, Tim Tebow, Tom Cruise, Octavia Spencer and more. Many dyslexics cite ‘thinking differently’ as a personal superpower for creativity and thinking outside the box.
LEFT BEHIND (USA) 74 minutes, English - Abramorama Presents a Green Hummingbird Entertainment and Velvet Strand Production of an Anna Toomey Film “Left Behind”. Animation by IKARTOONS. Writer Karen K H Sim. Director of Photography James Fideler. Editor Brittany Kaplan. Executive Producers Juju Chang, Lisa Domenico Brooke, Dan Fougere, Stephanie Fougere, Sarah E. Johnson, Ellen Lovejoy, Zofia Moreno & Jean Reno. Producers Anna Toomey, Mari Keiko-Gonzalez, ACE. Produced by David Beal, Sian Edwards-Beal, Chris Farrell, Larry Mullen Jr. Original Score by Olivier Manchon, Clare Manchon. Original Song by Larry Mullen Jr. & GAYLE. Directed by Anna Toomey. An Abramorama North American Theatrical Release. For more information visit www.leftbehindthefilm.com.
* * *
ABOUT LEFT BEHIND
Did you know that 1 out of 5 people have dyslexia? How about that 47-50% of incarcerated people have dyslexia? Left Behind gives eye-opening insight into the ways that the public school system ignores the needs of students with learning disabilities and, in doing so, contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. No matter how much a person may stand by the power and importance of public schools, there’s just no disputing that the current public education system is not built to help students with learning disabilities to succeed or thrive, and just about every single dyslexia-centered school in the country is privately-owned. Anna Toomey’s gripping documentary chronicles a group of advocates in their struggle to start New York City’s first public school for dyslexia. For more info - www.leftbehindthefilm.com
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Anna Toomey is an independent filmmaker who started her career as an Emmy Award-winning producer for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting. She worked on projects including The Gun Fight, an inside look at the NRA, The Century, Beatles Anthology, and the six-part series In the Jury Room. Anna developed and directed her first feature length independent documentary Left Behind after her son was diagnosed with dyslexia and she discovered the inadequate resources for millions of children across the country.
ABOUT GREEN HUMMINGBIRD ENTERTAINMENT
Green Hummingbird Entertainment is a boutique studio based in New York and London with co-heads David Beal (former President of National Geographic Entertainment and Palm Pictures) and Emmy Award winning producer Sian Edwards-Beal. With a global development slate, Green Hummingbird is focused on inspirational, thought-provoking entertainment and telling heroic stories that harness the power of music.
ABOUT VELVET STRAND
Velvet Strand is the production company of Irish musician and actor Larry Mullen Jr. and American producer Chris Farrell. Velvet Strand looks to collaborate with filmmakers to bring surprising or unknown stories to the screen, particularly those which celebrate artists and musicians or those seeking to make a positive impact.
ABOUT ABRAMORAMA
Abramorama is a leading innovator in worldwide event cinema, theatrical distribution, marketing and rights management for nonfiction, narrative and music films. For more than 20 years Abramorama has provided strategic services to Intellectual Property owners including filmmakers, networks, record labels, platforms and artists including The Beatles, Dolly Parton, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Melanie Martinez, Laurie Anderson, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, National Geographic, AARP, Apple, Amazon, HBO, Hulu, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, and Sony, among others. Abramorama is expert at maximizing reach, engagement and Impact ROI for films created for target audiences. Abramorama creates a unique distribution and audience development plan for each title, engaging a global network of cinemas, digital media outlets, and marketing partners. For more information, visit abramorama.com.
PRESS CONTACT
Adam J. Segal • The 2050 Group - Publicity
212.642.4317 (Office) • 202.422.4673 (Cell)
adam@the2050group.com
