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Find answers to commonly asked questions, such as when P.O.V. programs re-air, how to purchase tapes and DVDs, how to find the companion Web site for a P.O.V. film and more.
P.O.V. AND AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY ON AIR
TALKING BACK
OUTREACH
AWARDS
P.O.V. AND AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY ON AIR
What is P.O.V.?
Now in its 20th season on PBS, P.O.V. is a multi-media service organization focused on creating high impact, energetic broadcasts for the best independent point-of-view documentaries. The award-winning series is presented each summer on PBS, with year-round specials. P.O.V. activities are designed to explore the potential of independent media in public life, and include an array of initiatives that have served as models in creative uses of independent non-fiction media.
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No really. What is P.O.V.?
P.O.V. is a cinema term for "point of view."
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What kind of films does P.O.V. broadcast?
P.O.V. seeks nonfiction programs from all perspectives, at any length under two hours (though we may request a cut-down version). The films on P.O.V.'s broadcast list reflect all styles of non-fiction film: personal, investigative, cinema verité and traditional documentary, as well as experimental approaches. Please note that you do not have to be in your P.O.V. film; we are looking for films that express an opinion, which can be done in a variety of ways. Please see the For Producers section for further information.
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How are films chosen?
P.O.V. has an in-depth annual submissions process. Guidelines are laid out in our Call for Entries application. As part of the selection process, tapes are screened by an editorial committee, a unique working partnership between independents and public television executives. Films chosen must meet PBS's funding guidelines. Films with public funding (from CPB, the Minority Consortia or ITVS, for instance) do not receive special consideration — we let the film's content speak for itself. Final selections are made by P.O.V. with recommendations from our committee. To submit a film, apply online or call 212-989-8121 to receive a form in the mail. The deadline is the last Friday in June every year. The series is announced in the spring of the following year. There is no application fee for submitting.
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When will a program be on the air again?
Your local PBS station makes independent decisions about when and how frequently to replay P.O.V. programs, so unfortunately, we can't give you an easy answer.
You can check your local listings on the PBS Web site for upcoming (re)broadcasts of P.O.V. in the next two weeks. Just type in your zip code or state, select your local PBS station, and see if the program you are interested in appears in the listings.
If you don't see the particular program
or any P.O.V. broadcasts at all listed, your station will not be airing P.O.V. in the next two weeks and we don't have any further information to offer, unfortunately.
We recommend that you contact your local station directly to let them know if you are interested in seeing a P.O.V. program rebroadcast, or to inquire about any future plans to re-air the program.
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My station never carries P.O.V. at the time you advertise, Tuesdays at 10 pm. What's up?
PBS recommends that local stations air P.O.V. on Tuesday nights at 10 pm, but local PBS stations make their own decisions about when to air P.O.V. programs. Feel free to let them know if you would prefer that the series were scheduled at a different time.
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How can I find out about upcoming P.O.V. shows?
One simple way is to sign up for our newsletter, which we email out to your in-box weekly during our regular on-air season (summer/fall) and intermittently the rest of the year. It will remind you about upcoming P.O.V. programs and update you about Web sites premiering on PBS Online.
As an alternative, if you see a film that interests you on the TV schedule, click on the REMIND ME button to sign up for a one-time-only email reminders for a particular broadcast.
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Where can I buy a copy of a P.O.V. program on tape or DVD?
Visit P.O.V.'s Film Archive, where you can browse for the program by title or season, or search by the filmmaker's name, etc. Once you've found the program you're interested in, click the "Buy the Film" link in the left-hand margin for more information. If no such link appears, as in the case of some films from early seasons of P.O.V., that means that we currently have no information on the film's distribution.
If you've been to one of our companion Web sites before, you might have noticed that "Buy the Film" links appear on companion site homepages as well. Some of our films are also available to rent through Netflix: In those cases, you'll see a "Rent from Netflix" link on the homepage.
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Can I tape a program off the air and use it in my classroom?
Most P.O.V. documentaries can be taped off the air and used for educational purposes (K-12) for up to one year from the broadcast date. In certain cases this period may vary. For more information about off-air taping rights, visit PBS TeacherSource, a great resource for educators. For a list of lesson plans offered for use with P.O.V. films, visit our For Educators area.
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Where can I send my comments on a particular program?
There are multiple ways you can share your responses with us.
You can call us at (800) 688-4768 and let us know what you think by phone.
If you feel strongly, you might want to consider sending in a video letter. A lively selection of viewer video letters are broadcast or webstreamed during the P.O.V. season, so you can help to broaden public discourse and the range of perspectives on public television. Check out past video letters from viewers and download our step-by-step guide (Adobe Acrobat required).
Online, you can visit the P.O.V. Talking Back discussion board for the film. There you can express your point of view and talk about the issues with other viewers. Our Talking Back Tapestry offers a chance to share emotional responses to P.O.V. films (Flash Player required).
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How do I submit a story idea?
We're probably not the best place to send your idea. P.O.V. doesn't do "story development" in traditional television terms, because we're a series of independently produced documentary films. Most films come to us near completion or already finished. If you have a film you would like to submit for consideration, visit the For Producers area of the site.
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I'm a filmmaker. How do I get my film on P.O.V.?
Every year, P.O.V. holds a Call for Entries, in which we encourage filmmakers to submit films for consideration for broadcast on P.O.V. For more information, visit our For Producers area, where you'll find links to our Call for Entries, more on what kinds of projects are eligible for consideration, and other funding and broadcasting resources available to independent producers at PBS.
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How do I find the Web site for a particular P.O.V. program?
If you visit our Film Archive, you can browse for the program by title or season, or you can search by the filmmaker's name or anything else you remember about the program. When you find the program, click on the film's title or the "WEBSITE" button — either link will take you to the homepage of the companion Web site. In a pinch, you call also visit the P.O.V. Site Map, where there is a list of all our companion Web sites.
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Do you have any job openings? Can I be a P.O.V. intern?
We have a small staff and rarely have openings for full-time positions.
If you are interested in working for P.O.V. or interning in one of our departments, check out our Jobs page.
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What is your mailing address?
You can write to us at:
American Documentary, Inc.
P.O. Box 5034
Bowling Green Station
New York, NY 10274-5034
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TALKING BACK
How does Talking Back work?
Talking Back is a tool for viewers to engage in public dialogue on contemporary social issues and cultural perspectives on a national level. Comments from viewers are recorded at regional station sites, or via home video letter, phone, e-mail, Web site or regular mail. A diverse selection of these comments is compiled for broadcast and also featured on the P.O.V. Web site.
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Which films have Talking Back segments produced for them?
Every film that receives responses from viewers will have a selection of them posted on the P.O.V. Web site. Selected films may have "sneak preview" Talking Back events where audience members record their responses on video for use in short broadcast segments produced during the summer season. Find out where these events are being held around the country on the P.O.V. Events page.
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How often will the Talking Back segment repeat?
Talking Back is aired directly following select P.O.V. broadcasts.
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OUTREACH
What community engagement projects do P.O.V. and American Documentary, Inc. oversee?
Everything P.O.V. does is, on some level, targeted towards amplifying community involvement through the power of independent documentaries. P.O.V. has developed several engagement initiatives over the years, including Talking Back: Video and Digital Letters to P.O.V., which challenges the notion of television as a passive medium by encouraging viewers to become a part of the P.O.V. broadcast loop. Viewers with a passion to speak their minds need only pick up a camcorder or a telephone, go online or mail their comments. In select markets, public television stations will open their doors and provide opportunities for viewers to "talk back." Lively selections of those responses are broadcast or webstreamed during the P.O.V. season, creating a robust opportunity to broaden public discourse and the range of perspectives on public television.
To extend the impact of P.O.V. programming, our Community Engagement campaigns are designed to build new audiences, inspire civic dialogue and when possible, foster community engagement around issues represented in select programs. Through creative, strategic partnerships with nonprofit organizations and public television stations, Community Engagement helps to expand the role and value of independent storytelling in public life.
P.O.V. Interactive is our award-winning Web department. P.O.V. Interactive specially develops Web sites for each of our films as well as other new media tools focused on interactivity and community building through the web, based on the creative exploration of issues raised by P.O.V. programming. Site users are invited to share personal stories and perspectives, and become part of ongoing exchanges long after a show is broadcast. P.O.V. Interactive also produces P.O.V.'s Borders, an ongoing Web-original series that explores the borders in our lives with new themed installments launched annually.
Youth Views, our newest initiative, creates partnerships for pre-broadcast screening events with youth groups nationally. Along with screenings, Youth Views works with youth leaders through the annual Youth Views Institute and Advisory Board, providing training and materials for using media as a tool in community organizing.
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AWARDS
What awards have P.O.V. presentations won?
P.O.V. presentations have won every major film and broadcasting award, including Academy Awards, duPont-Columbia Awards, numerous Emmys, Peabodys and the PrixItalia. View a partial list of the awards.
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Major funding for P.O.V. is provided by the John D. and Catherine T.MacArthur Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Ford Foundation, the Educational Foundation of America, PBS and public television viewers. Funding for P.O.V.'s Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. P.O.V. is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KCET Los Angeles, WGBH Boston and Thirteen/WNET New York.
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