The World According to Sesame Street

The World According to Sesame Street explores the drama and complexities behind producing international versions of the world’s most popular children’s television program.

Series: Independent Lens
Premiere Date: October 24, 2006
Length: 90 minutes

Nominated: 2006 Sundance Film Festival-Grand Jury Prize

Producer/Director

Linda Goldstein Knowlton

Linda Goldstein Knowlton is an Emmy AwardⓇ-nominated filmmaker, working in both documentary and scripted feature films, as well as in television. Her award-winning films include Whale Rider, We Are The Radical Monarchs, Split at the Root, Somewhere Between, and The World According to Sesame Street.

Other ITVS Films: Before the Moon Falls

Producer/Director

Linda Hawkins Costigan

Linda Hawkins Costigan has been working in the film industry for 11 years. She has spent significant time in both development and production, honing her skills in the two areas. The bulk of her interest has led her to work in the documentary field, particularly in films that are socially relevant. In 2001, Hawkins Costigan co-wrote and co-produced a… Show more documentary through Gabriel Films called Inshallah, Diary of an Afghan Woman for the Oxygen Network. She also produced films Sounds True and Big Budda Baba Films. Although her love is documentaries, Costigan dove into the world of reality television producing for networks such as Fox, WB, CBS/UPN. She has also developed programming for Original Productions and Animal Planet. Hawkins Costigan spent six years of her early film career as an assistant director in music videos and commercials for directors such as Michael Bay, David Fincher, Mark Romanek, and Julien Temple. Show less

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The Film

Children’s education is more than just ABCs and 123s. With today’s global landscape dominated by such pressing issues as poverty, human rights, AIDS and ethnic genocide, how can the world’s most-watched children’s television show bridge cultures while remaining socially relevant? The World According to Sesame Street explores the dramas, challenges and complexities behind producing international versions of the beloved television program. The film follows productions in Bangladesh, Kosovo, and South Africa and examines how producers from New York’s Sesame Workshop take the iconic American television show and localize it with indigenous songs, puppets, and curricula while facing cultural, political, and production challenges.

When it first aired in 1969, Sesame Street was considered groundbreaking. A product of the era’s progressive and civil rights movements, it boasted the first mixed-race cast and first urban setting on a children’s television show. One of the program’s goals was to help level the educational playing field for all pre-school children. Sesame Workshop’s international co-productions now illustrate the current political and social environments of their home countries.

Today, Sesame Street is aired in more than 120 countries around the world, and Sesame Workshop is developing co-productions in India, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Northern Ireland, and Brazil. As fascinating primer on art, media and intercultural dialogue, The World According to Sesame Street illustrates both the many cultural differences and similarities of producing the children’s television program on a global level.