African American
Whatever It Takes Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS
“The Week’s Guide to What’s Worth Watching: In Whatever It Takes, Edward Tom gave up an executive post at Saks Fifth Avenue for a far-lower-paying job as principal of a small public high school in the South Bronx. Cameras follow him through his first year as he struggles to deal with its challenges, epitomized by a failing 14-year-old girl whose mother is a recovering crack addict.”
- The Week Magazine
What’s a child’s education worth? For one visionary, rookie principal, it’s priceless. At the Bronx Center for Science & Mathematics, an innovative public high school in NYC’s South Bronx, principal Edward Tom leads a dedicated group of teachers, students, and parents in their biggest gamble yet. Within a community infamous for hardship, can this brand new school live up to its promise and inspire new stories of achievement and excellence?
Check out a preview of tonight’s broadcast below:
Whatever It Takes premieres tonight, Tuesday, March 30 at 10:00 on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). A co-production of CAAM.
Filmmaker Profile: Avon Kirkland Discusses Legacy of Sam Cooke
Documentary filmmaker Avon Kirkland didn’t follow the typical path to filmmaking – earning a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis and working as a research scientist and educational publishing executive before starting a career in television in 1972.
Since then, his work as a producer, director, and writer has focused on creating films that explore the rich history and culture of African Americans and their contributions.
His work has included numerous ground-breaking projects such as Up & Coming, a 25-part drama series about an African-American family struggling between working- and middle-class in San Francisco; Booker, a one-hour drama based on the childhood of Booker T. Washington; and numerous other films that aired on American Masters and public television including Simple Justice, Street Soldiers, and Ralph Ellison: An American Journey.
More recently, Kirkland played a pivotal role as executive producer of Sam Cooke: Crossing Over, on which he worked with producer/director John Antonelli to secure completion funding from ITVS. The film looks at the musical and political significance of composer, performer, and pioneering pop music entrepreneur Sam Cooke and the circumstances that led to his murder.
Check out this video where Kirkland explains the impact and importance of the legendary singer.
Shukree Tilghman: The End of Black History Month
ITVS offers viewers the opportunity to explore the rich and vibrant history and cultural contributions of African Americans throughout the year, but this month we’re offering a special slate of new and encore programs in honor of Black History Month. We recently asked Shukree Tilghman, filmmaker of the ITVS-funded film More Than A Month, to share his thoughts on Black History Month and why he believes it no longer exists. Read his take below.
Shukree Tilghman
It’s February, time to take a moment –– or a day or a week or the whole month –– to recognize, honor, and celebrate the unique and multi-faceted history of the African in America.
At least that’s what I thought February was about. Turns out I was wrong.
This seems an appropriate time to mention that I am smack in the middle of making an ITVS-funded documentary film, More Than A Month, which follows me on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month (BHM). Through the lens of this journey, the film takes a critical, and sometimes comedic look at what it means that we have a black history month and what it would mean if we didn’t.
Well, I have some interesting news to report from the field: Black History Month has ended.
I don’t mean it’s March 1, I mean BHM has ceased to exist. That’s right. It’s over. Gone. Caput. I cannot tell you exactly when it ended, but it’s gone. And despite the film and the campaign within –– I didn’t do it (so don’t go pointing the finger at me). But you can follow the journey at morethanamonth.org. Okay, enough shameless plugs. Back to the point.
All evidence that I have collected so far, from “man on the street” interviews, to spending time at a black advertising agency and with BHM planning committees, to attending BHM events, points to a somewhat sudden truth. February is no longer Black History Month. Nope. It’s Black PEOPLE Month… meaning anything that has to with black life and culture is fair game in February. Anything.
Are you a black author? February book tour!
A black designer? February fashion show!
A black out of work actor? Don’t worry. February presents a plethora of opportunities for you, and most of them won’t be historical in nature so you can avoid the awkwardness of playing a “servant.” Well…most of you.
Are you a semi-famous political commentator with a take on racism? CNN has gigs for you, player!
Remembering the 42nd Anniversary of the Orangeburg Massacre
Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the most unknown tragedy in the history of the civil rights movement. On 1968, police opened fire on the campus of South Carolina State University, leaving three young African American men dead and 27 wounded. Unlike a similar incident at Kent State, the incident did not make national headlines and there has never been an official investigation into what occurred that night. The film investigates the continued cover-up of the tragedy and follows ongoing efforts to seek justice.
Haven’t heard of the tragedy? Well, be sure to tune into public television this month to watch the ITVS film Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968, where filmmakers Bestor Cram and Judy Richardson investigate the continued cover-up of the tragedy and the ongoing efforts to seek justice.
Watch an extended clip of this program below:
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 airs in February on public television (check local listings).
A co-production of ITVS in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).
Video Extra: Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story
In conjunction with Black History Month, Great Performances is airing a special encore presentation of Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story (check local listings). Based on the book by William Shack, the film looks at the impact of African American performers and musicians during the great jazz era of Paris.
In the video extra below, learn more about Louis Mitchell, a young black entrepreneur in 1920 Paris, who brought African American jazz musicians to Montmartre. Mitchell formed a popular quintet, made the first jazz recording in France, and opened all-night lunch counters to cater to inebriated club-goers.
New Films Available on the PBS Video Player
ITVS programs regularly explore the rich and vibrant history and cultural contributions of African Americans. In fact, three ITVS films –– Brother to Brother, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, and Life and Debt –– were recently recognized by The Grio’s “Ten Most Important Black Films of the Decade.”
In celebration of Black History Month, ITVS and PBS are offering a special slate of new and encore programs throughout February. Select programs are also available on the PBS video player. Be sure to check out the Independent Lens documentary February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four, which looks at the pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement when four college students staged a sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. Also, be sure to check out last year’s Independent Lens Audience Award winner Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene, which tells 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.
Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes and P-Star Rising, both Independent Lens documentaries, will be available online February 10.
Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness Premiering Tonight on Independent Lens on PBS
“Herskovits ‘was one of the most important people you’ve never heard of… But when it comes to the topic of African-American cultural history, he’s at the center of the debate.’”
- The Jewish Week
Who has the authority to define your identity? Considered one of the most controversial scholars of our time, Melville Herskovits — a Jewish anthropologist — challenged the norm in the 1940s when he wrote that black culture wasn’t pathological, it was African. Leading a seismic shift in the way African American culture is understood, Herskovits’s work raises ideas that still challenge us today.
Herskovits premieres tonight, February 2, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).
This month, Independent Lens concludes its Music Month celebration with a powerful new documentary P-Star Rising.
Watch a preview and listen to musical hits featured in or inspired by the music month films >>
John Antonelli Discusses Inspiration Behind Sam Cooke
The ITVS film Sam Cooke: Crossing Over recently premiered on American Masters on PBS. The film looks at the musical and political significance of composer, performer, and pioneering pop music entrepreneur Sam Cooke and the circumstances that led to his murder. Beyond the Box recently caught up with producer John Antonelli to discuss his interest in the topic, why he approached ITVS for funding, and what he hopes viewers took away from the film.
Executive Producer Avon Kirkland, Narrator Danny Glover, and Producer John Antonelli.
How did you first get involved with filmmaking? Are there any specific topics that interest you?
My production company came out of the experience of making my Jack Kerouac documentary in the early 80s. My partner Will Parrinello and I have been working together since then making a variety of films that focus on the environment, culture, and politics. The Sam Cooke program goes full circle back to producing a full-length documentary about a cultural icon.
What made you interested in Sam Cooke?
I’ve always loved Sam Cooke’s music since I discovered it as a teenager back in the early sixties. When I read Daniel Wolff’s biography You Send Me, I was quickly convinced that I should try and make a film about him. Wolff was supportive but wasn’t interested in forming a partnership. At that point, I decided that I would make the film for PBS directly. We managed to reach many of Cooke’s closest friends and relatives to do interviews for the film.
Why did you approach ITVS for funding?
I’ve always wanted to do a project with ITVS and have applied there with various films. I knew when I decided to do this project for PBS that I had two strong options for funding and distribution –– ITVS and American Masters. If ITVS were an individual, you could say that I was their stalker. I started applying to ITVS back in 1998 when I started making the film. I applied and got rejected, and as I had on previous projects, signed up for their feedback session. Although I didn’t like hearing the reasons from different anonymous panel members why they didn’t like the project, I also heard some encouragement sprinkled in with the criticisms. I then set out to improve the proposal and sample tape. Little did I know that this process of applying and getting feedback would take another nine years before it would get funded. The feedback–– almost as much as the financing –– is a big reason why I was able to complete the film. The feedback always gave me specific ways that I could make the project stronger. As far as I know, ITVS is the only entity in the documentary world that gives this kind of feedback –– it is something that every filmmaker should take advantage of.
ITVS Celebrates Black History Month
Nine-year-old Pricilla from P-Star Rising, airing Feb. 9 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS.
Mine, premiering Feb. 16 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS.
ITVS and PBS offers viewers the opportunity to explore the rich and vibrant history and cultural contributions of African Americans throughout the year, but this month offers a special slate of new and encore programs in honor of Black History Month.
Independent Lens brings race to the forefront with four new films in February. Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness, debuting Feb. 2, explores the often-overlooked legacy of Jewish anthropologist Melville Herskovits, whose ideas in the 40s and 50s challenged the accepted assumptions about race and culture. Then, tune in on Feb. 9 for P-Star Rising, which looks at nine-year-old Pricilla who wants to be the youngest female rap star ever and her single father who is determined to help her make it big. This film also closes out the special line-up of compelling films as part of Independent Lens’s Music Month.
A third film, Mine, premiering Feb. 16, tells the poignant and powerful story of animals left behind during Katrina, and of the struggles of hurricane victims to reunite with their beloved pets. Finally, Behind the Rainbow, airing Feb. 23, unearths once-hidden realities of South Africa’s political obstacles on the path to democracy.
Other ITVS films airing this month on PBS include: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four, which looks at the pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement when four college students staged a sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960, and Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968, which investigates the continued cover-up of the tragedy of 1968 on the campus of South Carolina State University and follows ongoing efforts to seek justice.
Get local broadcast information >>
Thousands of hours of PBS programming are available on the PBS Video Portal, including a special collection for Black History Month.
Watch these video clips of upcoming new Independent Lens programs (check local listings):
Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness, Feb. 2 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS
Reconstructing History: Filmmakers Discuss Objective Storytelling
This is the companion piece to Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968, which airs in February on public television, and investigates the continued cover-up of the tragedy of 1968 on the campus of South Carolina State University and follows ongoing efforts to seek justice.
Filmmakers Bestor Cram and Judy Richardson discuss how they visually reconstructed a shocking historical event of which there is very little archival footage, without influencing the objective telling of the story.
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 airs in February on public television (check local listings).
A co-production of ITVS in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).
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