'' Sins of the Father '' is a 2002 American made-for-TV docudrama directed by Robert Dornhelm . The teleplay by John Pielmeier is based on a '' Texas Monthly '' article by Pamela Colloff chronicling the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham , Alabama in which four young African American girls were killed while attending Sunday-school . The victims were Addie Mae Collins , 14 yrs old ; Denise McNair , 11 yrs old ; Carole Robertson , 14 yrs old ; and Cynthia Welsley , 14 yrs old . It was believed that there were 5 girls together in the church basement on that fateful day , but only one survived : young Sarah Collins , Addie Mae 's younger sister . The bombing was racially motivated and carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan . The film was first aired on January 6 , 2002 at FX
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
Sins of the Father (2002 film)