Last Friday, fifteen filmmakers from MPI’s talent network—including alumni from MPI’s Screenwriting and Directing Workshops, filmmakers from MPI Original productions, and summer interns—visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to hear from acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns. The event took place directly under Air Force One, providing a stunning backdrop for an evening focused on storytelling and history.

Guests watched a forty-five-minute highlight reel from Burns’s upcoming six-part documentary series The American Revolution. Following the screening, Burns was joined by codirector Sarah Botstein and the series’ historian and film adviser, Christopher Brown, for a moderated discussion on the creative process behind the series and its in-depth exploration of one of the nation’s most defining eras.

For MPI filmmakers and interns, the evening offered a unique opportunity to experience a master storyteller’s approach firsthand and connect with peers who share a passion for bringing history and ideas to life on screen.

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