Watch THE ORDER OF MYTHS Tonight on Independent Lens

Tonight at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings), a special encore presentation of THE ORDER OF MYTHS: The doctrine, “separate but equal” ended in the 1950s, right? Think again. At America’s oldest Mardi Gras–celebrated each year in Mobile, Alabama–events remain segregated between white and black residents. Beneath the surface of pageantry, lies a complex story about race relations and the ever-present racial divide that persists in America today.

“A well-constructed documentary about a surprising remnant of segregation in the new South, THE ORDER OF MYTHS gracefully explores Mobile’s Mardi Gras celebrations and profiles the young people playing at royalty at these ceremonies’ hearts,” The Washington Post

Check out the preview:

THE ORDER OF MYTHS airs tonight at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). The short film BI-RACIAL HAIR will also air tonight, which was recently honored with a Boston/New England Emmy Award. Read about filmmaker Lisa Russell’s experience at the ceremony below.

Tags: African American, Mardi Gras

In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

“A few years ago, Bay Area filmmaker Dawn Logsdon learned a valuable double-barreled lesson: 1. Sometimes the best ideas for a documentary project can be found right in your former backyard. 2. Never overlook the teachings of a parent. The result of that knowledge is FAUBOURG TREMÉ: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, a moving and revelatory film…”
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“In her latest documentary, ARUSI PERSIAN WEDDING, Tehrani brings to life the love-hate relationship between her parents’ countries.”
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“Independent filmmaker Margaret Brown wins the Truer Than Fiction Award at the Independent’s Spirit Awards for her film THE ORDER OF MYTHS, airing Feb. 24 on Independent Lens on PBS.”
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“THE ORDER OF MYTHS: Margaret Brown does a deft job both presenting the history of the country’s oldest Mardi Gras celebration while vividly pointing out the enduring segregation between the city’s white and black social events.”
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Tags: Mardi Gras, newspaper reviews, Wedding

Watch THE ORDER OF MYTHS Tonight on Independent Lens

The Hartford Courant: It’s Fat Tuesday. And in the documentary chronicling the carnival season in Mobile, AL, THE ORDER OF MYTHS on Independent Lens at 10:00 PM, Margaret Brown does a deft job both presenting the history of the country’s oldest Mardi Gras celebration while vividly pointing out the enduring segregation between the city’s white and black social events.

Check out the preview below:

Check out a clip from tonight’s broadcast below:

THE ORDER OF MYTHS premieres tonight at 10:00 on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)

Tags: African American, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras

In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

“Few outside the industry realize the key role Canada, and particularly its biggest film festivals, play in getting some of these award-winning films off the ground. Case in point: WALTZ WITH BASHIR, the front-runner to take home the award for best foreign-language picture on Sunday night.”
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“New Orleans has problems for sure, but Fabourg Tremé reminds us that not only is it our obligation as a nation to restore it, but that parts of its history could be a model for a brighter future for the city—and for the rest of us.”
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Tony Cox of News & Notes talks with resident and journalist Lolis Eric Elie about FAUBOURG TREMÉ: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans.
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“FAUBOURG TREMÉ: Bravo. A masterwork! Fabulous story, delightful interviews, captivating footage.”
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“FAUBOURG TREMÉ: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans draws a poignant portrait of what may be the oldest black neighborhood in America … New Orleans Times-Picayune writer Lolis Eric Elie gently guides viewers through the neighborhood’s glorious past and inglorious suffering after Katrina, illuminating customs that distinguish New Orleans from every city on earth.”
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“The roots of separation seemed to run as deep as the massive oaks that line the parade route. And while [THE ORDER OF MYTHS] illustrates the potential for change, it is obvious from its beginning to the dramatic, intriguingly open ending that change will be a long time coming.”
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Tags: Mardi Gras, New Orleans, NPR

ITVS Celebrates Black History Month

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 offers three new films about race in February. ADJUST YOUR COLOR: The Truth about Petey Greene, debuting Feb. 3, profiles America’s first “shock jock,” who, with his raw, unvarnished voice, spoke truth to power on his groundbreaking radio and television series. TULIA, TEXAS, premiering Feb. 10, examines the price Americans pay for the nation’s war on drugs and THE ORDER OF MYTHS, on Feb. 24, reveals the parallel black and white worlds of Mardi Gras Secret Societies in Mobile, Alabama, where separate and unequal is still the order of the day.

Also be sure to check out these encore presentations on Independent Lens: BILLY STRAYHORN: Lush Life, on Feb. 17, looks at the life of the composer of “Take the A-Train” and other Duke Ellington hits, who struggled with obscurity and prejudice as a successful gay man and HIP HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, in February on PBS, takes an in-depth look at the sexism, violence and homophobia in rap music and hip-hop culture through the lens of a former college star athlete.

Other ITVS films airing this month on PBS include: FAUBOURG TREME: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, which pays tribute to what African American communities have contributed––even under the most hostile of conditions, and SISTERS OF SELMA: Bearing Witness for Change, which tells the story of African American and white Catholic nuns that helped make Selma a turning point for the civil rights movement and change the role of the Catholic church in America.

Get local broadcast information >>

Check out these previews of upcoming new Independent Lens programs:

ADJUST YOUR COLOR: The Truth about Petey Greene
February 3 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)

TULIA, TEXAS
February 10 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)

THE ORDER OF MYTHS
February 24 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)

Tags: African American, Mardi Gras, online video