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Watch It. Rate It. Screen It: ‘15 DAYS’ Exposes Disastrous Fallout From Pandemic School Closures
By Natalya Murakhver
Six years ago, the adults entrusted to protect our children handed them over to COVID-19 policies that harmed them in ways we are only beginning to understand.
I am a New York City mother, documentary filmmaker, and co-founder of Restore Childhood.
In 2021, I sued Mayor Bill de Blasio to force New York City to reopen its public schools. I also helped build grassroots movements, including #KeepNYCSchoolsOpen, #MaskLikeAKid, and The Urgency of Normal.
After more than three years and dozens of interviews, I created the film I want to share with you today.
‘15 DAYS: The Real Story of America’s Pandemic School Closures’
On March 13, “15 DAYS” launched on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Google Play. The film documents what was done to American children: 15 days that stretched into 18 months and beyond.
It tells the story of masked toddlers, collapsing literacy and math scores, and a surge in anxiety, depression, and self-harm. It reveals the quiet abandonment of the most vulnerable children in the poorest districts.
Built from the testimony of parents, pediatricians, teachers, scientists, and children themselves, “15 DAYS” is a record of lived experience — and lasting consequences.
An informed consent failure on a generational scale
For decades, the medical freedom movement has stood on a simple principle: no public health measure should be imposed without informed, voluntary consent.
That principle was abandoned in the spring of 2020 — and has yet to be restored.
Parents were not given transparent data — they were given messaging. Under intense social and professional pressure, many were told that prolonged school closures were “the science,” despite emerging international and pediatric data that raised serious questions.
What unfolded was not simply a mistake — it was a systemic failure involving institutions that Children’s Health Defense (CHD) has long scrutinized. Years later, many decision-makers remain in place, largely unchallenged.
Meanwhile, children continue to bear the consequences.
No one is coming to save our kids but us
“15 DAYS” is not a film that legacy distributors will champion. Like much of the information that has challenged dominant narratives in recent years, it will be up to people to spread this film — parents, physicians, educators, faith leaders, and neighbors who believe the truth matters.
That’s where this community comes in.
Watch It. Rate It. Screen It:
- Stream or rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, or Google Play.
- Leave a rating and review — platform algorithms are influenced by engagement, and every review helps expand reach.
- Host a screening through Kinema.
Screenings can happen anywhere: a living room, church basement, community center, homeschool co-op, or local meeting space. If you’re part of a CHD Chapter, state coalition, or parental rights group, this film offers a powerful starting point for community dialogue.
Why this still matters
Some will say this is behind us — that it’s time to move on. But without accountability, the conditions that led to these decisions remain unchanged.
The same public health structures, institutional dynamics, and communication systems are still in place. The only real safeguard against repetition is an informed, engaged public that remembers — and acts.
Informed consent was not only bypassed — it was often dismissed. The responsibility now is to ensure that what happened is neither forgotten nor repeated.
The children who lived through this deserve nothing less.
Natalya Murakhver is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and co-founder of Restore Childhood, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to children’s education, health, and parental rights. A Soviet immigrant who came to America at age 6, Natalya co-founded the #KeepNYCSchoolsOpen movement during the pandemic and filed a lawsuit against Mayor de Blasio to reopen New York City schools, which became the origin story for her documentary “15 DAYS: The Real Story of America’s Pandemic School Closures,” now streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Google/YouTube TV.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Children’s Health Defense.
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