Watch THE NEW AMERICANS on Global Voices on PBS WORLD
It’s summertime, and for TV viewers everywhere that means the dreaded season of reruns and reality TV. But wait, don’t give up on your television just yet because ITVS is bringing you something actually worth watching.
The acclaimed miniseries THE NEW AMERICANS airs July 5-August 16 in one-hour weekly installments at 10:00 PM on Global Voices on PBS WORLD (check local listings).
This seven-part series looks at the search for the “American dream” through the eyes of recent immigrants and refugees during their first tumultuous years in America. From Nigeria, India, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, each family has come with different hopes: to achieve athletic glory or high-tech riches, to escape poverty and persecution or to simply provide for their families.
Watch a preview:
Like watching films online? Get THE NEW AMERICANS on iTunes >>
Watch CHILDREN OF THE SUN on the Sundance Channel
“CHILDREN OF THE SUN explores the era’s ideals, failures and legacy as it interweaves archival home movies, children’s songs, other rare recordings of kibbutz life from 1930-1980, as well as poignant interviews with the now-grown ‘Children of the Sun,’ some of his family members and their friends.”
- Jewish Tribune
In the 1920s and 30s, tens of thousands of children were born on an Israeli kibbutz and raised as part of a social experiment to create a new and improved human. The film traces the “Children of the Sun” from their birth through their growth as members of the Zionist elite and to the crisis that weakened the kibbutz movement.
Watch a preview below:
CHILDREN OF THE SUN airs July 20 at 9:00 PM on the Sundance Channel (check local listings)
The 2009 Independent Lens Audience Award Runoff
We’ve tallied your votes from this past season and the verdict is… too close to call! What to do? We’re holding a runoff, and we need YOU to help choose the winner. Has one of your favorites made the list? Choose from the four most popular films:
ADJUST YOUR COLOR: The Truth of Petey Greene
The unlikely story of America’s original shock-jock, Petey Greene, who battled the system and his own demons during a time of civil unrest in the nation’s capital.
HELVETICA
A film about typography, graphic design and the existence of a global visual culture, HELVETICA looks at the ubiquitous font that appears everywhere in the modern world.
STRANDED: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors
The survival tale of a group of young men who lived for 72 days in the Andes Mountains after their plane crashed in October 1972.
TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai
The dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a global movement.
You have until Friday, July 17 to cast your vote. The winner of the 2009 Independent Lens Audience Award will be announced Monday, July 27.
(We hope that you’ll post this link on your Facebook page and Tweet about it too!)
Watch GARRISON KEILLOR Tonight on American Masters
“This documentary, created for PBS’ American Masters series, is an amiable portrait of this somewhat enigmatic radio performer…”
- San Francisco Chronicle
Garrison Keillor is an author, a highly sought public speaker and is credited with reviving the lost art of live radio. His weekly program, A Prairie Home Companion, began in 1974 and has more than four million listeners. GARRISON KEILLOR: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes follows a year in his life as he performs in large and small towns across the country, bringing wit, commentary and his unique take on America.
Watch a preview below:
GARRISON KEILLOR: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes airs tonight at 8:00 PM on American Masters on PBS (check local listings)
It’s hard to believe, but sometimes Keillor’s funniest moments happen off the camera. Check out these hilarious video outtakes from his journey across the country. See more video >>
Filmmaker Profile: Gordon Quinn, THE NEW AMERICANS
This summer, Global Voices on PBS WORLD presents an encore of 
Kartemquin Films’ THE NEW AMERICANS. The seven-hour, critically acclaimed documentary miniseries follows four years in the lives of a diverse group of immigrants and refugees as they journey from around the globe to start new lives in America. From heart-wrenching farewells to initial impressions of the United States, from debunked myths to realized dreams, the series captures the modern immigrant experience.
Presented in one-hour weekly installments from July 5 to August 16, the broadcast will feature updates on what the individuals profiled have been doing since the series first aired. Optional Spanish audio narration will be available. THE NEW AMERICANS can also be found on iTunes.
Gordon Quinn, executive producer of THE NEW AMERICANS and creative director and founding member of Kartemquin Films, has been making documentaries for more than 40 years. His first film, Home For Life (1966), was called “an extraordinarily moving documentary” by film critic Roger Ebert and set the direction for Quinn’s filmmaking career—creating cinéma vérité works that investigate and critique society by documenting the unfolding lives of real people.
The Masculinity Project: Virtual Screening of FEBRUARY ONE by Rebecca Cerese
The National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and ITVS recently launched a weekly, web-based “virtual screening” series, which showcases some of the latest short documentaries from the Masculinity Project. Each screening will be followed by a Q&A and give audience members worldwide the opportunity to engage with the filmmaker. Find out what inspired filmmaker Rebecca Cerese to make FEBRUARY ONE, which will have a virtual screening at 8:00 PM EDT on Thursday, July 2.
Ever since childhood, filmmaker Rebecca Cerese has been enthralled by the stories of the American Civil Rights Movement.
“The patience and tenacity of the year-long boycott of the Montgomery Bus system, the selfless bravery of Mamie Till showing the world what racism had done to her son Emmitt, the strength and determination of nine brave teenagers as they marched to get an education in Little Rock, the unbelievable courage of the children that stood up against police dogs and fire hoses in Birmingham… These stories still fill me with hope for a better day in America,” she said.
In her short film FEBRUARY ONE, Cerese looks at the Greensboro Four—a group of African American men who began a sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in North Carolina, an event that became one of the pivotal moments in the American Civil Rights Movement.
Pacific Islanders in Communications Funding Deadline
Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) supports the advancement and development of Pacific Island media content and talent that results in a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture and contemporary challenges.
PIC is currently accepting proposals for R&D, Production and Completion funds (deadline: July 31).
In keeping with the mission, PIC helps Pacific Islander stories reach national audiences through funding support for productions, training and education, broadcast services and community outreach. In the past 15 years, PIC has awarded more than $2 million towards television productions, assisted 14 Pacific Islander producers in broadcasting their programs on national public television and has provided training to more than 120 emerging media makers.
Learn more about funding opportunities from PIC >>
The Latest ITVS International Films on iTunes
Selected ITVS International films are now available on iTunes for download to rent ($2.99) or to own ($9.99). Check out the latest films now available:
SEEDS OF SUMMER: At an army base in the heart of Israel’s southern desert, two young female military recruits make the transformation from fragile, vulnerable young girls to confident soldiers and fierce fighters.
IRANIAN KIDNEY BARGAIN SALE: An inside look at the growing organ industry in Iran where every 10 minutes, a young person wishing to sell his or her kidney appears at the entrance of a kidney referral agency.
Download IRANIAN KIDNEY BARGAIN SALE >>
Ask Programming: Recent Questions from Filmmakers
ITVS programming staff answer questions from filmmakers about the funding process:
Q. My film has already screened in festivals but needs additional post work to meet the requirements for television broadcast distribution. Should I apply to ITVS for funding?
A. It would not be in your best interest to apply to ITVS if your program simply needs funding for a cut down to broadcast length. ITVS financing is a co-production investment, and ITVS serves a co-production partner with funded programs, requiring a co-production credit. We recommend that you secure a broadcast outlet for your program; the acquisition license fee is often sufficient to finance a cut down.
On the other hand, if your program requires substantial reversioning for television broadcast, then you must make a clear case for this in your application proposal. Contact a member of the programming staff (information listed below) for further advice on your situation.
Q. Can I send you a few proposals to get your opinion on which one to submit for funding?
A. First, take a look at our recently funded films to get a sense of the type of work ITVS supports. While we can not review proposals before the deadlines, you are welcome to contact the programming department with questions regarding content and subject matter.
For more information, email Joy Marie-Scott: joy_scott@itvs.org or call ITVS at 415-356-8383.
Community Cinema Season Highlights
A full house at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Community Cinema recently wrapped up yet another record-breaking season––with more than 40,000 people attending 400 events in 55 communities across the country. Working behind-the-scenes were Community Cinema’s Regional Outreach Coordinators and Producing Partners who organized the events and worked with over 1,000 local and national organizations, including American Legion Auxiliary, Disabled American Veterans, California Newsreel, Women Make Movies, The Green Belt Movement, The Nature Conservancy, 350.org and many more. Read some of the highlights from last season:
CHICAGO 10
Washington, DC: A particularly timely screening, Community Cinema showed CHICAGO 10 on the last night of the Republican National Convention, which concluded just prior to John McCain’s candidacy acceptance speech. Audience members gathered at Busboys & Poets where panelists Yael Flusburg of Split this Rock Poetry Festival and Sarah Jensen of CodePink provided contemporary perspectives on the culture of protest and on-the-ground experiences at the recent conventions. Aviva Kempner, a local filmmaker, and Maurice Jackson, assistant professor of history at Georgetown University, discussed their personal experiences at the 1968 convention and the environment of the time period. Small group discussions compared protest tactics of 1968 to current methods.
Upcoming Screenings
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A free monthly screening series, Community Cinema features films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens.
In over 50 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues. This year, ITVS hosted more than 400 events with over 40,000 audience members in attendance.
Visit Community Cinema for more information and the latest updates >>Recent Posts
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