Story Line
15 Days, directed by Natalya Murakhver, an NYC “Open Schools” mom who led the only lawsuit against Mayor Bill de Blasio to reopen schools during the pandemic, and produced by Eli Steele, is the only film of its kind, telling a never-before-told story of why America’s school closures outlasted most nations. Framed as a forensic analysis of a crime against children by teachers’ unions, it blends Murakhver’s Soviet immigrant perspective with voices of children and families nationwide, exposing devastating learning loss, mental health crises, and inequality. Dispelling the myth that “we did the best we could with the info we had,” it reveals ignored science, amplified by unions’ alignment with left-leaning activists like Jane Fonda to exploit the crisis for political change. Spotlighting Trump’s former COVID advisor Dr. Scott Atlas, current NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, former NPR reporter Anya Kamenetz, author Martin Gurri, tech addiction expert Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, Dr. Morgan Polikoff (Associate Professor at USC Rossier School of Education), and Coach Ron Naclerio, NYC’s winningest high school basketball coach at Cardozo High School, it shows how $189.5 billion in federal ESSER funds for schools was shaped by union influence, delaying reopenings. 15 Days demands accountability to protect future generations.
