American Documentary

Overview

“This film is an example of the magic that happens when the camera keeps rolling, offering an unfiltered view of reality, and sticking with a subject for the long haul. It’s a deeply empathetic documentary” —Pat Mullen, POV Magazine

Official Selection, Hot Docs 2021:Honorable Mention, Best International Emerging Filmmaker Award, Named Best Film of Hot Docs 2021 by Toronto Film Critique Association

Official Selection, Mystic Film Festival:Winner Grand Jury Prize Feature Documentary

Official Selections of:The Chicago International Film Festival 2021, Big Sky Documentary Festival 2022, ReelAbilities Film Festival New York 2022 and many others

June 8, 2022, Boston, Mass. - In honor of BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month in July, for its mid-season finale, America ReFramed is proud to present the broadcast premiere of Margaret Byrne’s award-winning documentary ANY GIVEN DAY on July 7th, during its milestone 10th season on public television's WORLD Channel.

In the midst of widespread defunding of community mental health care programs across the country, the Cook County Jail in Chicago (in 2014, it was the largest single-site mental health facility in the country) has become a default treatment center for people living with mental illness, a trend playing out nationwide. In Any Given Day, while investigating the treatment of detainees, filmmaker Margaret Byrne befriends Angela (a preschool teacher and single mother of four), Dimitar (an author and anthropologist, who emigrated from Bulgaria with his family at age 10), and Daniel (who studied fashion design and once dreamed of being a shoe designer), participants in a mental health court probation program. Their friendship gives each of them the courage to be seen at their most vulnerable. Byrne’s intimate observations of the three captures the hard-fought triumphs and struggles of living at the intersection of mental illness, poverty and addiction.

Filmed over five years, their stories expose a system designed for punishment, yet used as a replacement for mental health care. The absence of support takes a toll on family members and friends whom Angela, Dimitar and Daniel provide for and depend on. The resulting stigma and isolation keep them caught in cycles of victory and defeat.

What begins as a heartfelt desire to accurately portray the lives of Angela, Dimitar and Daniel, forces Byrne to reckon with her own history of mental illness, culminating in a hospitalization for depression and inspiring her to weave her own story into the film.

ANY GIVEN DAY provides deeply personal insight into the necessity of caring relationships, especially when life is at its most difficult.

The issue of mental health is now not only relevant but crucial. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (that is nearly 51.5 million people in 2019 according to the National Institute of Mental Health).

“I never set out to make an autobiographical film, but at a certain point, it became necessary if it was going to be an honest film,” said director Margaret Byrne. “Once I turned the camera on myself, it forced me to confront the stigma I would continue to perpetuate if I chose to withhold my own illness. It also forced me to challenge the stereotype that a person with a mental illness is an unreliable narrator. Any Given Day solidified the way I want to always make films, proving to me that this process can be very healing.”

America ReFramed broadcasts on WORLD Channel every Thursday at 8/7c (check local listings at worldchannel.org/schedule). Episodes of America ReFramed can also be found on satellite TV during the week via Link TV (Direct TV channel 375 & Dish Network channel 9410). ANY GIVEN DAY will also stream online upon premiere at worldchannel.org, amdoc.org, and on all station-branded PBS platforms. More information at https://worldchannel.org/episode/america-reframed-any-given-day/

including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices.

For more information about the film and BIPOC mental health, please visit worldchannel.org, PBS or follow @worldchannel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

About the Filmmaker

Margaret Byrne, Director / Producer / Cinematographer, directed and produced Raising Bertie (POV 2017), a feature documentary following the lives of three African American boys growing up in rural North Carolina. She has worked as a cinematographer on over a dozen films including Surge (2020), Waging Change (2019), All the Queen’s Horses (2017), and American Promise (2014). She was previously a creative director at Universal Music and directed live concerts and music videos for artists such as Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige. In 2005, Byrne produced and edited the live series that launched MTV across Africa. Byrne is an adjunct professor at Columbia College and College of DuPage. She is the founder of Beti Films, an all-women film collective based in Chicago.

'Any Given Day' Credits

Margaret Byrne, Director / Producer / Cinematographer

Sally Jo Fifer, Executive Producer

Leslie Norville, Executive Producer

Jane Wells, Executive Producer

Latesha Dickerson, Associate Producer / Impact Producer

Liz Kaar, Editor

Eric Kuhn, Composer

Rory McFadden, Associate Editor

Shuling Yong, Sound

Any Given Day is a co-production of Beti Films and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Partially funded by Illinois Public Media and a Part-Time Faculty Development Grant from Columbia College Chicago.

America ReFramed Running Time: 90 minutes

Broadcast Premiere Date: July 7, 2022

Get sneak peek previews of ANY GIVEN DAY and more when you like and follow WORLD Channel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube along with America ReFramed on Facebook and Twitter. For more information around the broadcast premiere of ANY GIVEN DAY and to stay in the know about upcoming docs, filmmaker interviews and industry opportunities, subscribe to America ReFramed’s biweekly newsletter: bit.ly/americareframednewslettersignup and WORLD Channel newsletters: https://bit.ly/WC_newsletter

Watch the trailer for Any Given Day on worldchannel.org and on WORLD’s YouTube channel.

For more information on ANY GIVEN DAY, visit: https://anygivendayfilm.com/

Follow ANY GIVEN DAY on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

​​About America ReFramed

America ReFramed centers the stories of those who are often pushed to the sidelines of the country’s narrative. The series has been nominated for duPont-Columbia, International Documentary Association and News & Documentary Emmy Awards. An essential platform for diverse artists and audiences, the series is the recipient of the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, and has been honored by the Gracie Awards, Imagen Awards, Kaleidoscope Awards, Asian American Journalists Association, Native American Journalists Association, The Association of LGBTQ Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

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.

About WORLD Channel

WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and programming. WORLD’s original series examine the issues and amplify the voices of those often ignored by mainstream media. The multicast 24/7 channel helps audiences understand conflicts, movements and cultures from around the globe. Its original work has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, a National News and Documentary Emmy Award, two Webby Awards, and many others honoring diversity of content and makers. WORLD is carried by 191 member stations in markets representing over 74% of US TV households. Funding for WORLD Channel is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and Artworks. WORLD is produced by GBH in partnership with WNET and is distributed by American Public Television (APT). Find out more at WORLDChannel.org.