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American Documentary | P.O.V. Celebrates 20 Years

Feb 26 2007

When P.O.V. (a cinema term for 'point of view') emerged on PBS's national schedule in 1988 with the film American Tongues, the Big Three networks — ABC, CBS and NBC — dominated television programming, and cable was in its infancy. Public television was the only place where independent film had a shot at a national broadcast. Two hundred fifty films and countless awards later, P.O.V. has become the nation's longest-running television showcase for independent documentary storytelling. P.O.V. celebrates its 20th anniversary with a limited-edition DVD collection to be released on February 27, 2007, a new slate of PBS films beginning Tuesday, June 19, and a host of events throughout the year in partnership with leading arts organizations including the Museum of Modern Art, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival, the National Television Academy and the Museum of Television and Radio.

The DVD set, P.O.V.'s 20th Anniversary Collection, is produced in partnership with Docurama, a division of New Video Group. The collection contains 15 titles reflecting the range and diversity of P.O.V. films, from the series' inaugural broadcast, American Tongues by Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker, to Arthur Dong's Licensed to Kill (1998), through the 2007 season. With subjects ranging from immigration to civil rights, culture and the environment, the collection represents the intersection of art and social issues that has become P.O.V.'s trademark.

P.O.V.'s 2007 broadcast schedule will feature 18 films by established and emerging filmmakers, and includes two award-winning documentaries as primetime PBS specials: Michael Apted's 49 Up and Freida Lee Mock's Sundance Official Selection, Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner. Three films from P.O.V.'s Diverse Voices Project co-production fund will also be on the schedule. P.O.V. is broadcast Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (check local listings), June through October, with primetime specials during the year. P.O.V.'s entire 2007 television lineup will be announced shortly.

Under the new leadership of Executive Director Simon Kilmurry and Vice President Cynthia Lopez, P.O.V. has assembled a special 20th Anniversary advisory committee, which includes P.O.V. founder Mark Weiss, Louis Black (Austin Chronicle, SXSW), Liz Garbus (Moxie Firecracker Films), Peter O. Price (National Television Academy), Tammy Robinson (Thirteen/WNET New York), Patricia Aufderheide (Center for Social Media, American University), Christie Hefner (Playboy Foundation) and actor Michael York (P.O.V.'s The Hobart Shakespeareans).

Under Cynthia Lopez's leadership, P.O.V.'s award-winning marketing and communications department will once again partner with internationally renowned designer Paula Scher and her design team at Pentagram (whose clients include Citibank, FedEx and the Public Theater) on a national marketing campaign. The campaign will initially be unveiled in the New York market through P.O.V.'s first-ever partnership with the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which will present special 20th-anniversary advertisements on buses and subways throughout New York City's five boroughs

"We at P.O.V. believe that documentary films are the new literature, and are thrilled to celebrate our 20th anniversary with our DVD collection, new season on PBS and partnerships with such respected individuals and organizations," said Simon Kilmurry. "After 20 years, P.O.V. remains dedicated to discovering and presenting the works of filmmakers who push the boundaries of the documentary genre and challenge the way we see the world."

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