PBS announced today the films coming up on the new POV series in September and October. From a chronicle of young black men going to college to an examination of the U.S.-Mexico drug war through the eyes of people on both sides of the border to the story of a Midwestern family with a transgendered father, these documentaries and their subjects are unforgettable.
Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action.
All programs air on PBS on Mondays at 10 p.m. (Check local listings.) Descriptions and links follow.
Monday, Sept. 12: All the Difference by Tod Lending
The largely invisible and often crushing struggles of young African-American men come vividly—and heroically—to life in All the Difference, which traces the paths of two teens from the South Side of Chicago who dream of graduating from college. Statistics predict that Robert and Krishaun will drop out of high school, but they have other plans. Oscar®-nominated producer/director Tod Lending’s intimate film, executive produced by author Wes Moore, follows the young men through five years of hard work, sacrifice, setbacks and uncertainty. As they discover, support from family, teachers and mentors makes all the difference in defying the odds. A co-production of American Documentary | POV; Part of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Monday, Sept. 19: Kingdom of Shadows by Bernardo Ruiz
In Kingdom of Shadows, Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz takes an unflinching look at the hard choices and destructive consequences of the U.S.-Mexico drug war. Weaving together the stories of a U.S. drug enforcement agent on the border, an activist nun in violence-scarred Monterrey, Mexico, and a former Texas smuggler, the film reveals the human side of an often-misunderstood conflict. The distinct but interlocking experiences of these three individuals expose the dark corners of a human-rights crisis that has yet to be fully revealed. This documentary, which The New York Times called “unforgettable,” is sure to spark debate. A co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting.
Airing with Kingdom of Shadows is Theo Rigby and Kate McLean’s short film Marathon, about Julio Sauce, an undocumented immigrant who competes in the New York City Marathon. The film is part of Immigrant Nation, an interactive storytelling project designed to collect immigrant narratives and share them with the world.
Monday, Oct. 10: From This Day Forward by Sharon Shattuck
From This Day Forward is a moving portrayal of an American family coping with one of life’s most intimate transformations. When director Sharon Shattuck’s father came out as transgender and began living as Trisha, Sharon was in the awkward throes of middle school. Her father’s transition to female was difficult for her straight-identified mother, Marcia, to accept, but her parents stayed together. As the Shattucks reunite to plan Sharon’s wedding, she seeks a deeper understanding of how her parents’ marriage, and their family, survived intact. From This Day Forward is shown with Eric Rockey’s short film Pink Boy, an intimate portrait of a gender-nonconforming boy growing up in conservative rural Florida.
Monday, Oct. 17: Hooligan Sparrow by Nanfu Wang
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (aka Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to southern China to seek justice in the case of six elementary school girls allegedly sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment and imprisonment. Sparrow continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power of social media. Filmmaker Wang becomes a target, too, and must deal with destroyed cameras and intimidation. A co-presentation with the Center for Asian American Media.
Monday, Oct. 24: Thank You for Playing by David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall
When Ryan Green, a video game programmer, learns that his young son Joel has cancer, he and his wife begin documenting their emotional journey with a poetic video game. Thank You for Playing follows Ryan and his family over two years creating “That Dragon, Cancer,” which evolves from a cathartic exercise into a critically acclaimed work of art that sets the gaming industry abuzz. Lauded as “unimaginably intimate” by The New Yorker, the film is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the unique ways that art and technology can help us share profound experiences.
Monday, Oct. 31: What Tomorrow Brings by Beth Murphy
What Tomorrow Brings goes inside the very first girls’ school in a small Afghan village. Never before have fathers here allowed their daughters to be educated; now Taliban threats heighten their misgivings. From the school’s beginnings in 2009 to its first graduating class in 2015, the film traces the interconnected stories of students, teachers, village elders, parents and school founder Razia Jan. While the girls learn to read and write, their education goes far beyond the classroom as they discover the differences between the lives they were born into and the lives they dream of leading.
