The First Official Thanksgiving (2016)

Virginia claims to initiating this traditional celebration

Documentary shares the story of Captain John Woodlief leading a group of 35 English settlers to America. “It’s important to tell the story to set the record straight,” says Graham Woodlief, a descendant of the captain and the movie’s co-executive producer. He explains that educating people about this story would help Virginia “get its rightful recognition for this historic event.” Woodlief, as president of the nonprofit Virginia Thanksgiving Festival, promotes this account of the first American harvest-time celebration and educates the public on it. He first presented the idea of a documentary to WCVE PBS in hopes of educating more people about what he believes is the story of the very first Thanksgiving.

Production

PBS