COMMEMORATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH WITH ICONIC FILMS STREAMING ON THE PBS DOCUMENTARIES PRIME VIDEO CHANNEL
Arlington, VA – January 31, 2021 – This February, watch watershed documentaries from legendary filmmakers Stanley Nelson, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ken Burns, and many others on the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel that help honor Black History Month. Some of the highlighted programs include documentaries about the Black Panther Party, the pivotal role of historically Black colleges and universities, the history and culture of the Black church in African American communities, the life of an American icon and arguably the greatest boxer of all time, the millennia-long history of Africa, and much more.
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Information about each of the programs are listed below.
AFRICA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS
Premiere Date: February 1, 2022
Episodes: 3
Genre: History, Geography, Culture
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of Nutopia Limited/PBS)
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes a look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century. This is a breathtaking and personal journey through two hundred thousand years of history – from the origins, on the African continent, of art, writing and civilization itself, through the millennia in which Africa and Africans shaped not only their own rich civilizations, but also the wider world. Gates travels the length and breadth of Africa to chronicle the continent’s history from a firmly African perspective, and it’s a journey full of surprises and unexpected connections that highlight the collective and individual genius of Africans who, across thousands of years, built civilizations and empires, fought wars, established great cities, furthered and spread learning, and created some of the most sublime art and architecture in human history.
THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG
Premiere Date: February 1, 2022
Episodes: 1
Genre: History, Culture
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of PBS)
Producer, host and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, all the way down to its bedrock role as the site of African American survival and grace, organizing and resilience, thriving and testifying, autonomy and freedom, solidarity and speaking truth to power. Gates reveals how Black people have worshipped and, through their spiritual journeys, improvised ways to bring their faith traditions from African to the New World, while translating them into a form of Christianity that was not only truly their own, but a redemptive force for a nation whose original sin was found in their ancestors’ enslavement across the Middle Passage. Featuring Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Yolanda Adams, Pastor Shirley Caesar, BeBe Winans, Rev. Al Sharpton, Cornel West, and many others.
THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION
Premiere Date: February 1, 2022
Episodes: 1
Genre: History, Culture, Documentary
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of Pirkle Jones and Ruth-Marion Baruch)
In the turbulent 1960s, change was coming to America and the fault lines could no longer be ignored – cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and it sought to drastically transform the system. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would, for a short time, put itself at the vanguard of that change. This film, from master documentarian Stanley Nelson, explores the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for Black people and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails.
MUHAMMAD ALI
Premiere Date: February 1, 2022
Episodes: 4
Genre: Biography, Sports, Culture
(Photo Credit: Michael Gaffney Collection of Muhammad Ali)
Filmmaker Ken Burns brings to life one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century – Muhammad Ali, the boxing champion who captivated millions throughout the world with his mesmerizing combination of speed, grace and power in the ring, and charm and playful boasting outside of it. He wrote his own rules – in the ring and in his life – infuriating his critics, baffling his opponents and riveting his fans. He spoke his mind and stood on principle, staying true to his Islamic faith and refusing induction into the U.S. Army, even when it cost him his livelihood. Banished for his beliefs, he returned to boxing an underdog, reclaimed his title twice, and became the most famous man on earth. An intimate portrait of a larger-than-life global icon, this is the story of an exceptional athlete whose influence transcends boxing.
TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: THE STORY OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Premiere Date: February 1, 2022
Episodes: 1
Genre: History, Culture
(Photo Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta University Center)
The rich history of America’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) began before the end of slavery, flourished in the 20th century and profoundly influenced the course of the nation for over 150 years – yet remains largely unknown. Filmmakers Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams highlight the powerful story of the rise, influence and evolution of HBCUs – long a haven for Black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries, and a path toward the American dream. These institutions have nurtured some of the most influential Americans of our time, from Booker T. Washington to Martin Luther King, Jr., Toni Morrison to Oprah Winfrey, and Alice Walker to Spike Lee to Common.
Other titles coming to the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel
in February:
America ReFramed: Fannie Lou Hamer’s America
American Experience: Billy the Kid
American Experience: Klansville U.S.A.
American Experience: Rachel Carson
American Experience: Riveted: The History of Jeans
American Experience: The American Diplomat
American Experience: The Amish: Shunned
American Masters: Philip Roth: Unmasked
Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene
FRONTLINE: American Reckoning
FRONTLINE: Raising Adam Lanza
Local, USA: Heaven: Can You Hear Me?
Nature: American Horses
Nature: Cold Warriors: Wolves and Buffalo
Nature: Penguins: Meet the Family
Nature: The Ocean’s Greatest Feast
NOVA: Arctic Drift
NOVA: Augmented
NOVA: Great Mammoth Mystery
NOVA: Secrets in the Scat
NOVA: Transplanting Hope
The Path to Violence
The Secrets of Saint John Paul
This Emotional Life, Season 1
Through the Banks of the Red Cedar
Wonders of Mexico, Season 1
About PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel
The PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel is a DTC-SVOD channel exclusive to Prime Video. This channel features over 1,500 hours of the highest quality factual programming, including the full catalog of films from Ken Burns and award-winning documentaries from NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, in addition to programming from other independent producers.
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About PBS DISTRIBUTION
PBS Distribution is a leading distributor of public media content around the world, reaching audiences through multiple platforms and formats. The company, a joint venture of PBS and GBH Boston, operates six streaming channels — PBS Masterpiece (US and CA), PBS KIDS, PBS Living, PBS Documentaries and PBS America (U.K.). Other services include transactional video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand licensing, physical products on DVD and Blu-ray, theatrical releasing, educational, non-theatrical, inflight, and international program sales and co-productions.
PBS Distribution offers consumers and educators the highest quality factual, scripted, and children’s programming including films from Ken Burns, hit series from MASTERPIECE and foreign language dramas from Walter Presents, entertaining and educational PBS KIDS series, and award-winning documentaries from NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, and many independent producers. For over 10 years, the company has extended the reach of programming beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system, stations, and producers.
