Law&Crime teams with Tony Kaye for new docudrama
March 18, 2022
Director Tony Kaye (American History X, Lake of Fire, Detachment) and his production company, Above the Sea, have partnered with Law&Crime Productions and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to create a multi-part docudrama for television based on his iconic music video ‘Runaway Train.’
The video for ‘Runaway Train’ was written, directed and produced by Kaye, who partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to bring the issue of missing children and teens into the national consciousness by including photographs of real-life children, who were either abducted or ran away from home, along with the dates they disappeared. The video was a huge success and more than 21 of the 36 children featured in the US were found. The scope of the song, the band, and the video added to the incredible cultural power of music television back in the 90’s and became MTV’s miracle. “I think as music videos go, it must rank as one of the most important ones because it did something proactive for youth. It was maybe the most important thing I’ll ever do, ” said Kaye. “ I have always tried to find subject matter that is meaningful within the cultural weave of mankind and to build something that is beneficial within that. I did that with American History X, Detachment, and most importantly with Lake of Fire. With Lost Soul, I think I can expand that scenario even more, as a director, and more importantly as a father with teenage daughters, it’s my duty.” The new series, Lost Soul, will expand that innovative work by producing a docudrama about missing children that has the same impact as the music video did, but on a much bigger scale. The true-life stories of the missing children from the original video will be told, detailing their disturbing disappearances and how the publicity from the video helped close the unsolved cases. But Lost Soul is more than a television show. It’s designed to bring home a new generation of missing kids by featuring the faces of children who are currently missing with the hope that viewers will recognise them so they can be reunited with their families. Each episode will include updated information about children who were recovered as a result of watching the series. “I was heartbroken to learn that millions of missing and exploited children in the world reported every year. This project will provide hope for parents who lost their children. Every child deserves a safe and healthy home,” said Yan Lin Kaye, the president of Above the Sea.“Anytime we have the chance to highlight missing children and the issues surrounding those kids, we are elated,” said Angeline Hartmann from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “We applaud Tony Kaye for his continued efforts to impact children around the globe. He has been by our side for close to thirty years and we know that his efforts will be instrumental in continuing to find missing children and ensure they are safe, just like he did in 1993.” The series will also feature new songs by acclaimed artists that will provoke and inspire the audience about the realities of missing children and the challenges they face, including homelessness, abuse and exploitation. “Every missing child has a unique story. They are missed and they matter. We know that once a child has been located, that is only half of their journey,” said Melody Shafir, EVP of Development at Law&Crime. Kaye is working closely with Dave Pirner, the lead singer of Soul Asylum who penned the original hit ‘Runaway Train,’ alongside additional experts and actors who will help raise awareness and spread the message of prevention and hope. “It’s weird to see people still come up to me and go, ‘That song saved my life.’ It seems corny or melodramatic, but it’s all pretty real for me,” recalls Pirner. “And for that, I’m thankful that music exists.” “Currently there are over 8,000,000 children and teenagers missing all over the world. Our goal with this series is to try to help all of them and bring them home,” Kaye stated. Kaye, Lin Kaye, Dan Abrams and Shafir will serve as executive producers on the series.