Carmel filmmaker’s JFK doc set for History Channel premiere
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The History Channel this weekend will premiere an eight-part documentary series on President John F. Kennedy that was written and directed by 23-year-old Carmel filmmaker Ashton Gleckman.
The series will air Saturday through Monday ahead of the 60th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22.
Speaking with Gerry Dick on the Business & Beyond podcast this week, Gleckman said the inspiration for the documentary came during the pandemic.
“I was 19 at the time, and I wanted to try to find a story that had some semblance of hope and unity,” he said. “I also have been noticing over the last few years how divided America is in terms of the political parties. And I looked back at this remarkable story, and I remembered being a young kid in school and seeing the footage of JFK giving the inaugural address…and seeing this amazing color film of this young charismatic guy who had a great skill for oratory and inspiration. And I was like, ‘You know what, we need a little bit of this right now.'”
“Kennedy” focuses on the life of the 35th president, which was a particular focus for Gleckman, who wanted to get more into Kennedy’s life than just his assassination.
“I think that was the attraction for me is basically trying to get inside his head and live out this amazing life through his perspective, and take a step away from the tragedy of Dallas, which we all know about,” he said. “We’ve all seen the billions of documentaries about it, so I wanted to introduce something different”
“Kennedy” is Gleckman’s third documentary, following “We Shall Not Die Now,” which was released in 2019 about the Holocaust, and “The Hills I Call Home,” a 2021 documentary set in the Appalachian Mountains.
Gleckman said he recorded 170 hours of interviews for the documentary, including with members of the Kennedy family, politicians and historians like Serhii Plokhy from Harvard University, who wrote a book about the Cuban missile crisis.
The first three episodes of “Kennedy” will premiere back-to-back on Saturday at 8 p.m. on the History Channel. Three more episodes will air on Sunday, with the final two airing on Monday.
You can listen to the entire Business & Beyond episode with Gleckman, where he talks more about the process of making “Kennedy,” where his passion for filmmaking began, and what he has coming up next by clicking here, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about Gleckman in a story published in the Oct. 20 edition of the Indianapolis Business Journal here.