American Documentary

Overview

Washington, D.C. — October 9, 2024 —POV, the multi Emmy® and Peabody award-winning non-fiction series andWHUT / Howard University Television, the first and only public station in the U.S. licensed and operated by a historically black college and university (HBCU), in collaboration with From Prison Cells to PhD (P2P) a non-profit organization that counsels formerly incarcerated men and women towards building long-lasting careers, announced today they will host a screening and talkback focused on America’s gun violence and ways to curb the crisis on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at The Armour J. Blackburn Ballroom at Howard University. The evening will consist of a screening of the POV documentary The Body Politic starring Brandon Scott, Mayor of Baltimore, MD, followed by a panel conversation about community activism and holistic approaches to violence reduction. The screening begins at 6:00pm ET; doors open at 5:00pm ET. Networking with social justice and similar organizations will take place from 5:00pm - 6:00pm ET and immediately following the program from 8:30pm - 9:30pm ET.

This event is part of American Documentary’s 2024 ‘Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue’ grant. This high-impact initiative mobilizes regional PBS stations and neighboring organizations to design and facilitate their own engagement events leveraging full-length, documentary POV films. Through intentional funding, ‘Our America’ cohorts are empowered to respond to and reflect the needs of their communities while using POV films to connect audiences, inspire civic dialogue, action, and understanding around social issues.

“This screening event reflects the heart of our mission at POV, rooted in the belief that films can spark meaningful conversations and inspire audiences to engage with issues that matter to their communities,” said Robert Salyer, Manager of Outreach & Impact, POV. “Our partnership with Howard University is uniting stakeholders, community activists, students, and policymakers at a time when civil discourse is increasingly absent from public life. Open, honest dialogue is essential to a healthy civic society, and our partners are using our films to create a space for these important discussions.”

"WHUT is honored to partner with POV and P2P to host this important film screening event and panel discussion about issues that are far too familiar to so many in our community - gun violence and making our communities safer for all,” said Sean Plater, General Manager, WHUT. “We hope that this event will facilitate necessary discussions and serve as a catalyst for new actions to help make our streets a lot safer for all. We applaud the work being done in Baltimore by Mayor Scott and others, and we look forward to discussing solutions to similar issues happening in Washington, DC. Howard University is the perfect location for such a powerful conversation and screening that is sure to be thought-provoking and engaging for all. We’re excited."

“At From Prison Cells to PhDs (P2P), we believe in the transformative power of second chances,” said Dr. Stanley Andrisse, Founder, From Prison Cells to PhD (P2P). Gun violence reduction isn’t just about policy—it's about providing opportunities, resources, and hope to individuals who want to build a better future for themselves and their communities. We are proud to stand alongside leaders like Mayor Brandon Scott, using our stories and our platforms to drive real change.”

The panel in addition to Mayor Scott will feature Jennifer Porter, Director, of the District of Columbia Office of Victims Service & Justice Grants; Erricka Bridgeford, the Baltimore Peace Movement (via Skype); Dante Johnson, Director of Community Safety Initiatives, Living Classrooms Foundation; and moderated by Dr. Bahiyyah Muhammad, Associate Professor, of Sociology & Criminology at Howard University.

Intros will be made by Robert Salyer, Manager of Outreach & Impact, POV; Sean Plater, GM, WHUT/Howard University Television; Dr. Stanley Andrisse, Founder, From Prison Cells to PhD (P2P); Gabriel Frances Paz Goodenough, Director, The Body Politic and Dawne Langford, Producer, The Body Politic.

Hailed by The Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday as “a beautifully crafted piece of art,”The Body Politic, directed by Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough, a proud third-generation Baltimorean, spotlights young idealist Brandon Scott during his leadership campaign and first year as Mayor of Baltimore, a city plagued by chronic gun violence, funding shortages, and escalating crime. Through unfettered, authentic access to Mayor Scott and an inspired soundtrack, Goodenough provides what could be a brighter view of not just one city’s future but a path forward for cities across America.

“It’s an honor to partner with the nation's only Black-owned public media television station, WHUT-TV, where I also proudly started my career,” said Dawne Langford, Producer, The Body Politic. “We look forward to the generative discussion around the growing networks of community organizers who work to improve our collective wellness and healing from institutionalized inequality. We are also looking forward to modeling successful collective solutions for future leaders in the student body at Howard. The Body Politic aims to turn the lens to this crucial work that is consistently overlooked.”

The Body Politic, Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough’s feature directorial debut, is produced by Dawne Langford, John Benam, and Goodenough. The cinematography and sound are by Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough and John Benam, the editor is Thomas Niles, and the music composer is Caleb Stine. The executive producers are Rudy Valdez, Brock Williams, Jeffrey Pechter, Mark Grieco, Katy Chevigny, Marilyn Ness, Sally Jo Fifer, Erika Dilday, and Chris White.

The Body Politic, a co-production with ITVS, and a co-presentation with Black Public Media (BPM), will make its national broadcast premiere on POV Monday, November 25, at 10pmET/9C (check local listings) on PBS Television. The documentary will be available to stream until February 23, 2025, via pbs.org, and the PBS App. Now in its 37th season, POV continues to mark its place as America’s longest-running non-fiction series.

This program is made possible by a grant from American Documentary | POV, with funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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 48 Emmy Awards, 28 George Foster Peabody Awards, 16 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.

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, the Chasing the Dream and Peril and Promise public media initiatives of The WNET Group, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee 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 WHUT-TV, Howard University Television
WHUT-TV, Howard University Television was founded in 1980 in Washington, D.C. as WHMM. At its inception, the station became the first and only public station in the United States to be licensed and operated by a historically black college and university (HBCU) - Howard University. The station broadcasts reach over 2.5 million households in a 60-mile radius. The station endeavors to underscore Howard University's overall mission in its commitment to excellence in truth and service.

WHUT is transmitted over the air via Channel 32.1 as a 100% Free Public Broadcasting over-the air-channel and on all local cable and satellite systems. Check your local listings for channel information. Also available through YouTube TV, DIRECTV STREAM or through the PBS apps for mobile and connected device please remember to choose WHUT as your home station.

More information about WHUT is available at whut.org or by following @WHUTtv on Instagram and Facebook.

About From Prison Cells to PhD (P2P)

From Prison Cells to PhD (P2P), founded by Dr. Stanley Andrisse in 2018, is a beacon of hope for those seeking to rebuild their lives after incarceration. P2P recognizes the transformative power of education and is dedicated to empowering individuals with criminal convictions to achieve not only academic success, but a holistic sense of reintegration.

P2P accomplishes these goals through various programs including their flagship Prison-to-Professionals program, a comprehensive bridge between the challenges of incarceration and the triumphs of higher learning. The program fosters personal and professional transformation by offering a range of crucial support systems. From dedicated educational counseling and mentorship to navigating scholarship opportunities, P2P equips participants with the knowledge and resources they need to thrive.

Recognizing the systemic barriers faced by formerly incarcerated individuals, P2P also champions policy change, advocating for a more equitable path toward re-entry.

To learn more about how From Prison Cells to PhD empowers individuals to rewrite their narratives, visit their website at https://www.fromprisoncellstophd.org/. You can also connect with them on social media for updates and inspiration: follow @prison2pro on Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.