
Documentary film crew to do interviews in Lawrence for veterans project
*UPDATE: Well, Ken Burns fans, don’t plan on getting the famed filmmaker to autograph your PBS pledge card just yet.
I got in touch with an assistant for the film recently, and it turns out Burns won’t be able to make the trip to Lawrence after all. But a crew and the co-director of the Burns project will indeed be in Lawrence as reported below.*
A documentary film crew will be at Biggs BBQ, 2429 Iowa Street, tomorrow to film a group of veterans who regularly meet at the restaurant for fellowship and reflection. The crew works for famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, but despite earlier indications and rumors, it appears Burns himself will not be coming to Lawrence.
It sounds like the Lawrence group is particularly intriguing because it includes some Vietnam veterans, as well as current soldiers and veterans of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
My understanding is that Burns’ crew is filming the documentary for PBS, but the film likely won’t air until 2016.
Doug Holiday, owner of the restaurant, said Biggs will be closed for lunch on Tuesday to accommodate the filming.
The filming will wrap up a good week for Biggs. Although I didn’t see it, my understanding is the restaurant was briefly featured on ESPN’s GameDay coverage when it was in town on Saturday. The restaurant was hired by the network to roast a pig, in order to provide the broadcast a little local flavor.