‘POV’ Highlights a Mother Learning to Parent While Confronting the Complexities of Her Own Upbringing in A Mother Apart
Overview
Premieres Monday, October 13, 2025 at 10pm on PBS; Streaming Available on the PBS App Until January 11, 2026
Trailer • Download Press Photos • #MotherApartPBS
Brooklyn, N.Y. — September 9, 2025 — POV, the multi-Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning documentary, presents A Mother Apart, a film that follows mother Staceyann Chin, who balances the struggle of being abandoned at a young age by her mother, and as a mother who is trying to change her family’s generational cycle of abandonment. Directed by Laurie Townshend (Charley, The Railpath Hero) and produced by Alison Duke (Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story), Ngardy Conteh George (Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story), and Justine Pimlott (Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance), the film celebrates Staceyann Chin's healing journey of becoming the mother she always needed, revealing that compassion and grace are possible—even when the past is marked by loss.
Co-presented with Black Public Media (BPM), A Mother Apart will have its national broadcast premiere on POV Monday, October 13, 2025, at 10pm (check local listings) on PBS Television. It will stream on PBS.org and the PBS App through January 11, 2026. Now in its 38th season, POV is the longest-running nonfiction series.
A Mother Apart centers on Staceyann Chin, a woman who embodies multiple complex identities—poet, activist, lesbian, Jamaican American, mother. But the most complicated of all is “daughter.”
Abandoned by her mother as a child, Staceyann has been seeking her out for decades, travelling the globe in a one-sided attempt to forge a meaningful bond with the woman who brought her into the world. Now, as the sole parent of nine-year-old Zuri, she wrestles with an all-consuming dilemma: how to mother a daughter when your own mother has been largely absent.
With key themes of forgiveness and grace, filmmaker Laurie Townshend profiles one woman’s inspired and deeply intentional parenting. A Mother Apart catches up with Staceyann as she picks up the trail of her elusive mother—a trail that leads to Brooklyn, Montreal, Germany, and, finally, back to her native Jamaica.
A healing journey spanning three generations, the film is punctuated with vivid animation, imagery from personal archives, and excerpts from Staceyann’s arresting live performances. Her singularly intersectional voice infuses A Mother Apart with deep compassion and commanding intelligence.
“Before making this film, I thought I wanted to be a mom to my own biological child. What began as an exploration of the kind of mother I might be shifted as life unfolded. By the time we wrapped, I was caring for my ailing mother—and deeply grateful no thing and no one was pulling me away from that honour,” said director Laurie Townshend. “A Mother Apart gave me clarity about what care, patience, and grace can look like in loving our children, our aging parents, and ourselves. My hope is that audiences feel permission to embrace the ‘messiness of mothering’ in all its forms, and to discover grace—both for those who may have caused wounds and for themselves. That’s the gift of public media. It creates space for these necessary stories to be told, meeting people where they are and offering paths to deeper connection with themselves and others.”
“A Mother Apart chronicles the impact a mother-daughter bond can have, and the ongoing hope to break any generational trauma once the child becomes a parent,” said Erika Dilday, Executive Director, American Documentary and Executive Producer of POV and America ReFramed. “Director Laurie Townshend's remarkable ability to showcase the complex journey of teaching your children who they are, whilst wanting to understand oneself better, comes through in the ongoing conversations between Staceyann Chin and her daughter Zuri.”
A Mother Apart made its world premiere at the 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival. The film was an official selection of the 2024 Inside Out Film and Video Festival, where it won the “Audience Award for Best Documentary Film,” “Best Canadian Feature,” and “Best First Feature” prizes. It was also an official selection of the Doc NYC (2024); March On Festival (2024); Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival (2024); Blackstar Film Festival (2024); Newark LGBTQ Film Festival (2025); BFI Flare London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (2025); and was a nominee for the Canadian Screen Awards (2025).
Raves include:
“Poet and activist Staceyann Chin’s personal study of what it means to be both
a mother and a daughter.”
– Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
“Laure Townshend has brilliantly constructed an exploration of Chin’s intentional parenting.”
– Elisabetta Bianchini, Yahoo News
“As much a film about one inspirational mother figure as it is about all those who mother or have been mothered.”
– Sarah Toce, The Seattle Lesbian
A Mother Apart is a National Film Board of Canada, Oya Media Group co-production in association with the Documentary Channel. The director is Laurie Townshend. The producers are Alison Duke, Ngardy Conteh George, and Justine Pimlott. The consulting producer is Staceyann Chin. The writers are Laurie Townshend and Alison Duke. The directors of photography are Mrinal Desai, Ashley Iris Gill, and Gabriela Osio Vanden. The film is edited by Sonia Godding Togobo. Music is composed by Tom Third. Motion design is by Ramón Charles. The executive producers are Chanda Chevannes, Alison Duke, Ngardy Conteh George, Anita Lee, Erika Dilday and Chris White for America Documentary.
Photos
Download A Mother Apart Photos.
Click A Mother Apart - Press Kit to access the festival press notes.
Credits
Director: Laurie Townshend
Producers: Alison Duke, Ngardy Conteh George, Justine Pimlott
Executive Producers: Chanda Chevannes, Alison Duke, Ngardy Conteh George, Anita Lee, Erika Dilday and Chris White for American Documentary
Cast/Participant: Staceyann Chin
Consulting Producer: Staceyann Chin
Writers: Laurie Townshend, Alison Duke
Directors of Photography: Mrinal Desai, Ashley Iris Gill, Gabriela Osio Vanden
Editor: Sonia Godding Togobo
Music: Tom Third
Motion Design: Ramón Charles
Languages: English
Countries: Canada
Year: 2024
About the Filmmakers
Laurie Townshend, Director, Writer, A Mother Apart
Laurie Townshend is a Toronto-based filmmaker, writer, and educator. Raised by a Jamaican mother—the family’s eloquent griot—Laurie learned early on that before we shape stories, stories shape us. Her films center on the human capacity to transform small acts of courage into quiet revolutions, as seen in the dramatic short The Railpath Hero (2013, TIFF Black Star Festival, starring Stephan James), the unscripted series Human Frequency Streetdocs (2014), and the award-winning short doc Charley (2016). Laurie's storytelling delves deep into the human experience, emphasizing the resilience found in embracing vulnerability and the strength in forging connections.
Ngardy Conteh George, Producer, A Mother Apart
Ngardy Conteh George is an award-winning Sierra Leonean-Canadian director, producer, and editor celebrated for her compelling storytelling and commitment to elevating underrepresented voices, particularly from the African Diaspora. As the co-founder of OYA Media Group, she creates thought-provoking content that deepens understanding of diverse cultural experiences. Her recent works include the critically acclaimed docu-series Black Community Mixtapes, which won three Canadian Screen Awards in 2024, and Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. She also produced the two-time Canadian Screen Award-winning documentary, Mr. Jane and Finch (CBC), and The Flying Stars (CBC, NHK, DR, Al Jazeera). In recognition of her contributions, Ngardy received the CMPA Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award in 2024 for her work on A Mother Apart.
Alison Duke, Producer, A Mother Apart
Alison Duke is an award-winning writer, director, and producer known for fearless storytelling that centers on underrepresented voices. She co-founded OYA Media Group with Ngardy Conteh George, producing acclaimed works like, Mr. Jane and Finch, Black Community Mixtapes, and A Mother Apart’ Her docuseries Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music—a co-production with Catalyst and Idris Elba's Green Door Pictures—won the 2025 Canadian Screen Award for Best History Documentary Series and a Silver Award at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. A highly sought-after creative, Alison has lent her talents as an EP to the series Evil By Design: Surviving Peter Nygärd, and as a creative consulting to the award-winning film, Any Other Way: the Jackie Shane Story.
Currently, Alison is directing and producing new landmark projects, including Michelle Ross: Unknown Icon and Season 2 of Amanda Parris' acclaimed documentary series, For the Culture. Alison's career began with her debut documentary, Raisin’ Kane: A Rapumentary, produced by the National Film Board of Canada. It won the Best Documentary Prize at the Urbanworld Film Festival and sparked her enduring focus on documentaries. Since then, she has become known as one of Canada's top documentarians, earning the unofficial title "Queen of Music Docs" for her work spotlighting musicians and music scenes. Her latest feature, Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story (a Crave Original), premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and is currently touring internationally. Beyond her productions, she co-founded the OYA Black Arts Coalition, where she mentors emerging Black creatives in the fields of film and media. She is the recipient of the 2024 Hot Docs Don Haig Award for her outstanding producing work and the 2019 WIFT-Toronto Crystal Award for mentorship.
Justine Pimlott, Producer, A Mother Apart
Justine Pimlott is a multiple award-winning producer - most recently honoured with a prestigious Peabody Award for Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story. Justine has a long track record of amplifying marginalized stories and bringing them to the screen. In 2003, Justine co-founded Red Queen Productions to challenge gender norms and explore LGBTQ+ lives. At Red Queen, Justine directed and produced numerous feature documentaries, including: Derby Crazy Love, Fag Hags: Women Who Love Gay Men, Punch Like A Girl, and Girl Inside.
For the past decade, Justine has produced an extraordinary body of more than 20 features and shorts at the National Film Board of Canada. Her recent feature documentaries tell powerful 2SLGBTQ+ stories including Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance, the official opening night selection for the 2025 Hot Docs and winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary at the Inside Out Festival; Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, recipient of a 2025 Peabody Award winner, the 2025 Toronto Film Critics Award, TIFF Top Ten 2024 honors and Hot Docs 2024 DGC Jury Prize for Best Canadian Feature; and A Mother Apart, Best Canadian Feature, First Feature & Documentary Audience Award, 2024 Inside Out Film Festival among numerous other honors.
Chanda Chevannes, Executive Producer, A Mother Apart
Chanda Chevannes is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, and educator. Chanda makes artful documentaries that seek to amplify women’s voices. Her award-winning films have been broadcast on six continents, have been seen by more than four million people, and have inspired tangible legislative and social change. As a biracial and bisexual woman, Chanda’s experiences have taught her that there are two things of which we need more: joy and justice. She hopes her work serves to bring both into the world.
About
About POV
Produced by American Documentary, POV is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. The series is known for introducing generations of viewers to groundbreaking works like Tongues Untied (1989), Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1992), Rabbit in the Room (1999), Of Civil Wrongs & Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story (2001), Made in L.A. (2007), American Promise (2013), Not Going Quietly (2021), While We Watched (2022), A House Made of Splinters (2022), The Last Out (2023) and the mini-series And She Could be Next (2020). Throughout its history POV has featured the work of award-winning, innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras, Nanfu Wang, Frederick Wiseman, Emiko Omori, Janus Metz Pedersen and Ava DuVernay. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. In 2024, Indiewire named seven POV films in its roundup of “The 50 Best Documentaries of the 21st Century”: Faya Dayi (2021), The Mole Agent (2020), Minding The Gap (2018), Cameraperson (2016), The Look of Silence (2015), The Act of Killing (2013) and After Tiller (2013). All POV programs are available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
POV goes “beyond the broadcast” to bring powerful nonfiction storytelling to viewers wherever they are. Free educational resources accompany every film and a community network of thousands of partners nationwide work with POV to spark dialogue around today’s most pressing issues. POV continues to explore the future of documentary through innovative productions with partners such as The New York Times and The National Film Board of Canada and on platforms including Instagram.
POV films and projects have won 48 Emmy® Awards, 28 George Foster Peabody Awards, 16 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards® and the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award. Learn more at pbs.org/pov and follow @povdocs on social media.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 53 million viewers on YouTube, and 60 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org , one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X.
About American Documentary, Inc.
American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia organization dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, the Open Society Foundations, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, Park Foundation, and Perspective Fund. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Acton Family Giving, and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.