American Documentary

Overview

Brooklyn, N.Y. — June 9, 2024 — POV, the multi Emmy® and Peabody award-winning documentary series, spotlights courage, resilience, and youthful idealism, in Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, directed by Joe Piscatella, and produced by Mark Rinehart and Matthew Torne. At 21, Nathan Law was a leader of Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution. By 23, he became Hong Kong's youngest elected lawmaker. At 26, he was “Most Wanted” under the National Security Law. Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, a co-presentation with Preserving Democracy, a public media initiative from The WNET Group, offers a close look at the city's most famous dissident to uncover what happens to freedom when an authoritarian power goes unchecked.

Winner of the “Top 10 Audience Favorite Award” at its World Premiere at the 2023 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, will make its national broadcast premiere on POV Monday, September 23, 2024 at 10pm/9C (check local listings) and available to stream until November 22, 2024 at pbs.org, and the PBS App. In addition to standard closed captioning for the film, POV, in partnership with audio description serviceDiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities. Now in its 37th season, POV continues to mark its place as America’s longest running non-fiction series.

In Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? shy college freshman, Nathan Law, discovers an identity in activism. As one of the organizers of a student strike demanding that Hong Kong be allowed to elect their own leader (something promised to them back in 1998), Nathan leads five days of student boycotts with a message of peaceful civil disobedience. When the strike suddenly becomes the Umbrella Revolution, Nathan is unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role that shuts down Hong Kong for 79 days and captures the attention of the world.

When the movement falters, Nathan is charged for his role in the Umbrella Revolution, and his entire generation in Hong Kong has been awoken. Riding the enthusiasm of the student movement he helped spark, Nathan makes the impossible transition from protest leader to elected official, becoming the youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong’s history where he continues his fight for democracy from inside the government.

Fearful of Nathan’s message gaining traction beyond students, the government disqualifies Nathan on a technicality and sends him to jail. As Hong Kong continues to see the erosion of its freedom, a new movement is launched. Whereas the Umbrella Revolution was driven by hope, this new movement is driven by desperation. Nathan’s message of civil disobedience is overshadowed by a new generation of protestors who no longer feel that peaceful demonstrations can save Hong Kong. As Hong Kong descends into the biggest political crisis in modern Chinese history, Nathan must decide his role and his future.

“Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, is more than just the story of Hong Kong’s fight for freedom and democracy they’ve been promised,” said Joe Piscatella, director of Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?. “It’s the story of how a group of teenagers, led by Nathan Law, are willing to risk everything to save their home. It is also a great example of what it means to fight for democracy and how quickly freedoms can disappear if we don’t safeguard them.”

"In countries around the world, democracy is under attack," said Chris White, Executive Producer, POV. "In Who's Afraid of Nathan Law?, Joe Piscatella presents a cautionary tale of how quickly unchecked governments can take away our autonomy." The Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong is just one compelling example of citizens trying to reclaim their power."

Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, is written and directed by Joe Piscatella (#chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator; Joshua: Teeanger vs. Superpower). The film is produced by Matthew Torne, Mark Rinehart, Joe Piscatella and Andrew Duncan. The editor is Matthew Sultan. The executive producers are Elizabeth H. Weatherman, and Erika Dilday and Chris White for American Documentary | POV. Hong Kong-based DPs, producers and all crew have chosen to remain anonymous to protect their safety.

Photos

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Click here to access the theatrical Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? Press Notes.

Credits

Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?

Director: Joe Piscatella

Producers: Matthew Torne, Mark Rinehart, Joe Piscatella, Andrew Duncan

Executive Producers: Elizabeth H. Weatherman Erika Dilday, Chris White

Editor: Matthew Sultan

Countries: US, Hong Kong, UK

Languages: English; Cantonese (with English subtitles)

Year: 2023

About the Filmmakers

Joe Piscatella, Director, Writer, Producer, Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?

Since graduating from the graduate writing program at USC, Joe has written for a host of television, film, radio and print projects. His second feature documentary, Joshua: Teenage Dr vs. Superpower won the Audience Award at Sundance 2017 and was acquired as a Netflix Original. His first feature documentary, #ChicagoGirl, has been seen in more than 60 countries. He was also an executive producer on the documentary Finders Keepers, which premiered at Sundance in 2015. In 2019 he was nominated for an Emmy for his directorial work on Food Interrupted. In addition to his directing work, Piscatella has written numerous feature scripts and television pilots for 20th Century Fox, Spyglass and Touchstone Television. His credits include Disney’s Underdog, Warner Bros.’ “Ozzy & Drix” and NBC’s “Stark Raving Mad.”

Matthew Torne, Producer, Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?

Matthew Torne produced and directed the feature-length documentary Lessons in Dissent (2014), which premiered at the 38th Hong Kong International Film Festival and was an Associate Producer on the Sundance 2010 and Emmy winning Enemies of the People (2010). Matthew studied Modern Chinese Studies at Oxford University and Film Studies and History at the University of Kent. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America.

Mark Rinehart, Producer, Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?

Mark Rinehart is an Emmy-nominated director whose network credits include programming for Discovery, National Geographic, Travel Channel, Oprah Winfrey Network, and Current Television. He has also created digital content campaigns for a wide range of brands including Intel, Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Starbucks, HP, and Pepsi. Mark recently produced Joshua: Teenager Vs. Superpower a feature length documentary that picked up the audience award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Netflix Originals acquired the film while at Park City. He also produced Decoding Deepak, a theatrically released film on Deepak Chopra, and #chicagoGirl (a feature-length doc about a young woman who manages the Syrian revolution from her laptop in suburban Chicago). Both of these films can be found on Netflix as well as Apple streaming or download. While at Current Television, Mark developed and executive produced the critically acclaimed Embedded music series. In-depth profiles of artists ranging from Common to Ben Harper earned the show positive reviews in Rolling Stone and Billboard magazine. He directed the premiere episode that featured Mos Def’s tour of Japan. Mark also executive produced and directed “TV Free Burningman”, a flagship series that earned a national Emmy® nomination. Prior to his tenure at Current, he directed multiple segments for the award winning PBS series Spark. His short film Jumpers premiered at SXSW and screened in multiple festivals including San Francisco International and Silverdocs. He received an MA in film from Stanford University.

Matthew Sultan Executive Producer, fraid of Nathan Law?

Before pursuing his love for media-making, Matthew held jobs as a primate researcher, veterinary technician, bindery worker, and noodle house dishwasher. He is a filmmaking multi-hyphenate dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. In 2008, he earned an Emmy® nomination while working as a Supervising Producer / Editor at Current Television. More recently, he earned an Emmy® nomination for producing a digital series for Panera Bread. Matthew edited the Netflix Original Joshua: Teenager Vs. Superpower, a feature-length documentary that picked up the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. With strong roots in editorial, Matthew brings a birds-eye-view perspective to the projects he tackles. He enjoys teaching others and has led workshops on the topics of media literacy and citizen journalism. From the jungles of Colombia to the playa at Burning Man, he feels lucky for all of the adventures his career has afforded him. He is always interested in meaningful projects and doubly interested if the project involves travel. This is his third film with director Joe Piscatella. He lives in Los Angeles where he is a husband, father, and partner in the content creation studio OFFICIAL. FUN FACT: His sixth-grade soprano voice can be heard on several tracks in the film Home Alone, which may be one of his biggest accomplishments…ever.

Anonymous Hong Kong Crew, Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?

An anonymous Hong Kong Crew was used throughout filming in Hong Kong. All DPs, gaffers, PAs and sound crew all asked to remain anonymous to protect their safety and the safety of their families. Some crewmembers would only give their first names and insisted on being paid in cash so there was no record of their involvement.

Andrew Duncan, Executive Producer, Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?

Andrew Duncan is a producer on of several films including the psychological thriller Thoroughbred, written and directed by Cory Finley, starring Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Anton Yelchin; Fun Mom Dinner, directed by Alethea Jones, starring Toni Collette, Bridget Everett, Katie Aselton, and Molly Shannon; and the feature length documentary Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower about Hong Kong student activist and politician, Joshua Wong. Duncan served as producer for Paul Dano’s directorial debut, Wildlife, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan; The Florida Project, written and directed Sean Baker (Tangerine) starring Willem Dafoe; and the dramatic comedy Dude, written and directed by Olivia Milch, starring Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra Shipp and Awkwafina.

About

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, POV is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. The series is known for introducing generations of viewers to groundbreaking works like Tongues Untied (1989), Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1992), Rabbit in the Room (1999), Of Civil Wrongs & Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story (2001), Made in L.A. (2007), American Promise (2013), Not Going Quietly (2021), While We Watched (2022), A House Made of Splinters (2022) and the mini-series And She Could be Next (2020). Throughout its history POV has featured the work of award-winning, innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras, Nanfu Wang, Frederick Wiseman, Emiko Omori, Janus Metz Pedersen and Ava DuVernay. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. In 2024, Indiewire named seven POV films in its roundup of “The 50 Best Documentaries of the 21st Century”: Faya Dayi (2021), The Mole Agent (2020), Minding The Gap (2018), Cameraperson (2016), The Look of Silence (2015), The Act of Killing (2013) and After Tiller (2013). All POV programs are available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

POV goes “beyond the broadcast” to bring powerful nonfiction storytelling to viewers wherever they are. Free educational resources accompany every film and a community network of thousands of partners nationwide work with POV to spark dialogue around today’s most pressing issues. POV continues to explore the future of documentary through innovative productions with partners such as The New York Times and The National Film Board of Canada and on platforms including Snapchat and Instagram.

POV films and projects have won 47 Emmy Awards, 28 George Foster Peabody Awards, 15 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards® and the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award. Learn more at pbs.org/pov and follow @povdocs on social media.

About American Documentary, Inc.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia organization 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.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia organization 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, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, Acton Family Giving, 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 PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirm that PBS’s premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on Twitter.