American Documentary

Overview

New York, NY - May 26, 2022 - American Documentary, the award-winning nonprofit media organization, announces a series of events and partnerships to honor its landmark 35th anniversary. The organization produces long-running nonfiction showcase POV, which premieres July 11 on PBS. American Documentary also celebrated the 10th season of America ReFramed, a co-production with WORLD Channel, earlier this year, and will present POV Shorts' 5th season this fall. Founded in 1987, the nonprofit has won every major broadcast and journalism award, including Emmys®, Peabodys, Columbia-duPonts, and three Academy Awards®.

“We’re so excited to celebrate 35 years of American Documentary with our partners, filmmakers, and industry peers,” said Erika Dilday, executive director of American Documentary and executive producer of POV. “We are proud of the impact we have had in the public media and indie film landscape and are looking forward to helping shape the next generation of documentary film and filmmakers.”

American Documentary kicks off the summer with an in-person launch party to celebrate POV's 35th season in Brooklyn on Thursday, June 16. The ticketed event will be pay-what-you-can and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. As part of the special encore presentation of Who Killed Vincent Chin?, POV is also a community partner for the Vincent Chin 40th Remembrance and Rededication (https://www.vincentchin.org). The four-day commemoration, which includes film screenings to panel discussions to public art, will be held in Detroit and virtually, June 16-19. Other events include a block party on July 14 in Los Angeles, CA, a partnership with Hate is a Virus in association with Hip Hop for Change.

To further support filmmakers and provide care to film protagonists, POV will be continuing their partnership with theHartley Media Impact Initiative at Auburn, to include media and messaging workshops for select film teams and protagonists. These trainings will focus on the specific needs of each film team, film participants, and their impact campaigns. Selected participants will have the opportunity to work with a media strategist to equip them to effectively communicate their voice and vision in the public arena.

Beginning this year, American Documentary staff have returned to in-person festivals and industry events, including Big Sky, SXSW, True/False, Hot Docs, CAAMfest, and Cannes. Plans to attend summer events include Tribeca Festival (June 8-19), Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films (June 21-27) and Blackstar (August 3-7). More events and initiatives geared to the indie film community will be held in cities including Washington, DC, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, and Boston, MA, to name a few. For future events, click here to subscribe to the American Documentary Digest.

To see the full POV Season 35 lineup visit:PBS.org/POV

To see America Reframed’s Season 10 slate visit: AmDoc.org or WORLD Channel

POV Shorts Season 5 schedule will be announced later this year.

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, American Promise and Minding The Gap and innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras and Nanfu Wang. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. All POV programs are available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video 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 Snapchat and Instagram.

POV films and projects have won 45 Emmy Awards, 26 George Foster Peabody Awards, 15 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 America ReFramed

America ReFramed is a co-production of the WORLD Channel and American Documentary, Inc. The series curates a diverse selection of independent documentaries that brings to national audiences compelling stories which illuminate the changing contours of our ever-evolving country. Viewers will be immersed in stories that span the spectrum of American life, from the streets of towns big and small to its exurbs and country roads. The documentary series presents an array of personal voices and experiences through which we learn from our past, understand our present and are challenged to seek new frameworks for America’s future.

America ReFramed is the recipient of a Peabody Award and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism. The series has earned several Christopher, GRACIE, Telly and Cine Golden Eagle Awards, as well as multiple nominations for Emmy, Independent Documentary Association and Imagen Awards. Learn more at americareframed.com and follow @americareframed on Twitter and Facebook.

About American Documentary, Inc.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company 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, Sage Foundation, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee 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.