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For George and Teddy Kunhardt, making the documentary 鈥淏ecoming Katharine Graham鈥� was a race against time.

The pair of filmmakers 鈥� and siblings 鈥� wanted to tell the story of Katharine Graham, who navigated an accidental rise to power that changed history.

Born in 1917, Graham 鈥� known as 鈥淜ay鈥� 鈥� was raised to believe men would have careers and women would raise the family. But the course of her life would drastically change once her father, financier Eugene Meyer, bought The Washington Post in 1933, a struggling newspaper on the brink of collapse. The paper鈥檚 performance improved under her father鈥檚 leadership and then under her husband Phil Graham, but Phil鈥檚 death by suicide in 1963 left her with a leaderless newspaper and four young children. Forced to decide whether to take over the family business herself or sell it, she surprised everyone by making the unprecedented decision to run it herself.

鈥淏ecoming Katharine Graham鈥� will air at 6 a.m. Tuesday, June 23, on World, channel 5.4. It is also currently available to stream on the PBS app.

The Kunhardts started the project knowing that the people who knew Graham were aging.

鈥淥ur interview with Lally Graham (Graham鈥檚 daughter) was recorded just months before she died. We felt a responsibility to capture their stories and memories while we still could,鈥� the pair says. 

They layered excerpts from Kay鈥檚 audiobook version of 鈥淧ersonal History鈥� with archival footage, photographs and the Nixon White House tapes.

鈥溾�楶ersonal History鈥� is a brilliant book, but it was published more than 20 years ago. By distilling her wisdom and life story into a 90-minute film, our hope is to introduce Katharine Graham to a new generation.鈥�

The Kunhardts say Graham is far bigger than Meryl Streep鈥檚 portrayal in 鈥淭he Post,鈥� which focused primarily on the Pentagon Papers.

鈥淥ur film examines her entire life, allowing audiences to understand not only her extraordinary strength and leadership, but also the personal pain, self-doubt and insecurities she struggled with throughout her journey,鈥� the pair says.

The filmmakers say Graham鈥檚 story is both timeless and deeply relevant.

鈥淗er leadership and courage in defending a free press resonate now more than ever,鈥� they say. 鈥淥ver the years, we have produced feature documentaries on Gloria Steinem, Warren Buffett, Richard Nixon and Ben Bradlee. As we researched each of these individuals, their stories continually led us back to Kay. It was only a matter of time before we gave her the spotlight she deserves.鈥�

The documentary took just under two years to produce and while Graham鈥檚 life was well documented, there were other avenues for the filmmakers to take and tell a compelling story.

鈥淎s we assembled these elements, Kay鈥檚 story truly came to life. We were able to trace how her childhood experiences shaped her adulthood and leadership style. The film also provides a deeply personal perspective on what it was like to be 鈥榯he only woman in the room鈥� during a transformative period in American history,鈥� they say.

The duo credits producer Jill Cowan, who unearthed archival gems. Cowan was able to find written references of 16mm footage describing the Pressmen鈥檚 Strike.

Because there was an abundance of information, the editing process took some time. The brothers admit that they鈥檇 love to have 10 hours to tell a story like Graham鈥檚.

鈥淲e left a lot of great stories on the cutting room floor, like being the guest of honor at Truman Capote鈥檚 black and white ball,鈥� the pair says.

As the documentary airs to a national audience, the filmmakers say a free and independent press is as important today as it has ever been.

鈥淲e live in an era of misinformation, political polarization, and declining trust in institutions,鈥� they say. 鈥淪trong journalism remains one of the few mechanisms societies have to hold powerful individuals and organizations accountable. Democracy depends on citizens having access to reliable information, and that requires courageous reporters, editors, and publishers who are willing to pursue the truth wherever it leads.鈥�

Adrian Gomez is a freelance writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He works for the New Mexico Film Office, focusing on industry research.