A new documentary, Generation COVID, investigates the enduring impact of school closures following the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed by Jennifer Sey and Andrew James, the film captures the experiences of children and families across California, New York, Oregon, Colorado, and Connecticut as they deal with the aftermath of education disruptions and mandates.
Sey, who spoke to Fox News Digital, emphasized that while the nation seems to be moving forward, many children are still grappling with the pandemic’s effects. She stated, “It just feels to me like everyone wants to move on, and there’s really been no reckoning about what we did to young people in particular, and I wanted to create a record of that so that it never happens again.”
The film serves as a visual record of these impacts, aiming to encourage different responses in future pandemics. Sey, who lived in San Francisco for over 30 years, has been vocal about the city’s extended shutdowns. She explained, “I ended up having to leave San Francisco. I lost a career I’d spent 30 years building, but I continued to speak out in defense of children.”
After stepping away from her job in 2022, Sey started work on this documentary. Known for her past in elite gymnastics, Sey brings her experiences of abuse as a young athlete into her advocacy for children. As an Emmy-winning producer of the film Athlete A, she has a history of exposing abusive practices, including the Larry Nassar scandal.
“I ended up being the first whistleblower about abuse in elite gymnastics all the way back in 2008. And I really did it because I wish someone had stood up for me when I was a child.”
Sey’s commitment to protecting children is evident, as she remarked on how children were treated during the pandemic. “They were models, they were cogs in a wheel, and we lost all sense of the humanity of a child,” she said, describing the dehumanization and fear imposed on young students.
The documentary highlights the consequences of school closures and the censorship that Sey believes sustained them. Generation COVID premieres on October 22 through SalemNOW.