PASADENA, Calif.--()--Today at the Television Critics Association meeting, PBS announced a new slate of programs to air in 2013. A brief synopsis of each program follows, with links to the full press releases.
In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, PBS will broadcast a series of
specials that continue the public conversation on gun laws, mental
illness and school security. The “After Newtown” programming airs on PBS
stations February 18-22. These thoughtful and thought-provoking
documentaries and news pieces are meant to provide context to the
national conversation about gun violence in America. This special
programming includes programs from PBS
NEWSHOUR, FRONTLINE
(in collaboration with The Hartford Courant), NOVA,
NEED
TO KNOW and WASHINGTON
WEEK WITH GWEN IFILL.
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/after-newtown-programming/
PBS reaffirmed its commitment to independent film by announcing that it
will offer the second annual Online Film Festival, featuring short-form
films, beginning Monday, March 4, and will offer a multi-platform
Independent Film Showcase this fall. Both will feature films from POV
and INDEPENDENT
LENS, as well as other public media partners. In addition to
broadcast content, the festival will connect audiences with related
online and mobile content, and offer opportunities to participate
locally with their public television stations.
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/independent-film-showcase/
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MINE (working title)
The first-ever autobiographical documentary of physicist Stephen
Hawking, A BRIEF HISTORY OF MINE is slated to air in 2013. The
program gives viewers rare insight into Hawking’s life, past and
present, aided by a stellar cast of A-list contributors and Hawking
fans, including astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., actors Jim
Carrey and Benedict Cumberbatch, mathematical physicist Sir Roger
Penrose and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. A BRIEF HISTORY OF MINE features
exclusive access to Hawking’s life story, told largely in his own words.
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/stephen-hawking-release/
Actor Benjamin Bratt will narrate LATINO AMERICANS, a
landmark three-part, six-hour series set to air on PBS in fall 2013. It
is the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the
rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped
shape the United States over the last 500-plus years and have become,
with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S.
A team of filmmakers will document the evolution of a “Latino American”
identity, from the 1500s to the present day, with interviews of close to
100 Latinos from the worlds of politics, business and pop culture, as
well as portraits of Latinos who lived through key chapters in American
history.
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/latino-americans-release/
THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE, a three-part murder mystery, will premiere
Sundays, April 21-May 5, 2013, 10:00-11:00 p.m. on PBS. A production of
World Productions (United, “Line of Duty”) and distributed
worldwide by Content Television, the series aired in the UK in September
2012 on ITV to critical acclaim. THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE follows
Susan, Millie, Lucy and Jean, ordinary women with extraordinary ability
to break codes, a skill honed during World War II when they worked
undercover at Bletchley Park, site of the United Kingdom’s main
decryption establishment.
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/bletchley-circle-premiere/
HOW SHERLOCK CHANGED THE WORLD
A two-hour special about the world’s most legendary fictional detective
— Sherlock Holmes — will reveal for the first time the astonishing
impact that Holmes has had on the development of real criminal
investigation and forensic techniques. The program is slated to premiere
in fall 2013 on PBS. Holmes is, without doubt, the most famous fictional
detective the world has ever known. HOW SHERLOCK CHANGED THE WORLD
will show that Conan Doyle’s hero not only revolutionized the world of
fiction, but also changed the real world in more ways than many realize.
http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/sherlock-changed-world/
For images and additional up-to-date information on this and other PBS programs, visit PBS PressRoom at pbs.org/pressroom.
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