Sierra Leonean woman selected to speak on the life of President George H.W. Bush

    For Release: June 02, 2014

CNN Films Acquires 41ON41 for Broadcast as 41st President Celebrates 90th Birthday

Compelling film uniquely profiles President George H. W. Bush with 41 voices of those

closest to him for premiere Sunday, June 15 at 9:00pmET

CNN Films announced today that it will premiere 41ON41, a unique, multidimensional profile of President George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, from 41 extraordinary storytellers who know the president best.  The revealing, two-hour film weaves first-person accounts that explore the historic policy decisions and personal life experiences that shaped President Bush’s life and distinguished his presidency.  The two-hour film will debut Sunday, June 15 at 9:00pm and encore at 11:00pm Eastern. 

Three days prior to the Father’s Day evening broadcast, on June 12, 2014, President Bush will celebrate his 90th birthday in Kennebunkport, Maine, with family, friends, and former colleagues from his White House years.

41ON41 is executive produced by President Bush’s former White House speechwriter, Mary Kate Cary, andRick Kaplan, formerly of CNN and ABC News.  The award-winning film team also includes Nancy Stern Winters andLisa Lax at Lookalike Productions who produced and directed the film.  

“CNN is extremely pleased to present the first television broadcast of 41ON41, which offers extraordinary insights to the man behind the powerful office, and his consequential presidency,” said Amy Entelis, senior vice president of talent and content development for CNN Worldwide.  “Viewers will learn the backstory to key historic moments in our history – and will be surprised by insights from family and friends who reveal sides of their husband, grandfather, father, and friend that only people within the inner Bush family circle ever knew.”

“The goal of this film is for the world to see President Bush through the stories of his life – one of the most significant in our modern history,” said Fred McClure, chief executive officer for the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, which funded the film. “It is more than a recounting of history – it is an engaging and uplifting profile of one of our greatest citizens that no American will want to miss.”

Led by First Lady Barbara Bush, the film’s 41 storytellers include family members, world leaders, sports figures, White House staff, and more – several of whom have never previously spoken on camera.  The documentary also includes never-before-seen footage from the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and the Bush family’s private video and photo collection.

The 41 storytellers featured in the film are:

·         Roger Ailes -– former campaign advisor to President Bush

·         James A. Baker III -– former Secretary of State for President Bush

·         Susan Baker -– wife of James Baker, longtime family friend

·         Jean Becker -–  post-presidential chief of staff for President Bush

·         Tom Brokaw -– former anchor, NBC Nightly News

·         Billy Busch -–  fishing companion

·         George W. Bush -–  43rd President of the United States

·         Jeb Bush -– former Governor of Florida

·         Jeb Bush, Jr. -–  President Bush’s grandson

·         Marvin Bush -–  President Bush’s son

·         Neil Bush -–  President Bush’s son

·         Pierce Bush -–  President Bush’s grandson

·         Andrew Card -– former White House deputy chief of staff for President Bush

·         Buddy Carter -–  White House butler

·         Dana Carvey -–  comedian

·         Bill Clinton -– 42nd President of the United States

·         Michael Dannenhauer -– former personal aide to President Bush

·         David Demarest -–  former White House communications director for President Bush

·         Sgt. First Class Michael Elliott -– U.S. Army Golden Knight

·         Marlin Fitzwater -–  former White House press secretary for President Bush

·         Dr. Robert Gates -– former director of the CIA under President Bush

·         Bruce Gelb -– classmate of George Bush, Phillips Andover Academy

·         Boyden Gray -– former White House legal counsel for President Bush

·         Brit Hume -– former senior White House correspondent, ABC News

·         Sarah Jackson – alumna, Bush School of Government and Public Service

·         Doro Bush Koch -– President Bush’s daughter

·         Mike Krzyzewski (“Coach K”) -– Duke University men’s basketball coach

·         John Magaw -– former director, U.S. Secret Service

·         Sir John Major -– former Prime Minister, U.K.

·         David McCullough -– historian and author

·         Admiral DeWolfe Miller -– former commander of the U.S.S George H. W. Bush 

·         Jim Nantz -– sports commentator

·         Barack Obama -– 44th President of the United States

·         Arnold Palmer -– Hall of Fame golfer

·         General Colin Powell -– former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bush

·         Gabe Pressman -– WNBC-TV correspondent

·         Dan Quayle -– 44th Vice President of the United States

·         Dr. Condoleezza Rice -– former special assistant to President Bush for national security

·         Lt. General Brent Scowcroft -– former National Security Advisor for President Bush

·         Alan Simpson -– former U.S. Senator from Wyoming

·         Dr. John H. Sununu -– former White House chief of staff for President Bush