Liberty: Mother of Exiles

Over 4 million people visit the Statue of Liberty annually. The most photographed statue in the world, its meaning is universal and represents freedom, hope and protest to generations of people throughout the world. LIBERTY: MOTHER OF EXILES casts a new light on one of America's most familiar symbols, revealing its little-known history and surprising challenges, and celebrating it as an enduring beacon of hope for generations of immigrants.

Produced and directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (HBO's Emmy (r) -nominated Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures and Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking), the documentary begins with the groundbreaking ceremony for a new state-of-the-art facility at the base of the Statue of Liberty, and goes on to reveal the statue's unexpected history - a story filled with many false starts as well as significant financial and technical challenges that were ultimately solved in innovative ways.

The film also follows legendary designer and "godmother" to the statue, Diane von Furstenberg, in her quest to discover how sculptor Auguste Bartholdi's dream became a reality and what the statue has meant to generations of people from around the world.

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