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ForImmediateReleaseContacts:POVCommunications:[email protected],212-989-7425CathyFisher,[email protected],BrianGeldin,[email protected]:www.pbs.org/pov/pressroom

MacArthurFoundationRenewsSupportforAmericanDocumentary|POV

Three-YearGrantWillSupportAward-WinningPBSDocumentarySeriesPOV,

ItsDigitalInnovationsandNationalCommunityEngagementCampaignsAndtheWORLDChannelSeriesAMERICAREFRAMED

NewYork,NY–Jan.28,2016–TheJohnD.andCatherineT.MacArthurFoundationhasreneweditssupportofAmericanDocumentary|POVwithagrantof$2.25millionoverthenextthreeyears.ThefundswillsupportthePOV(PointofView)documentaryfilmseriesonPBSanditscommunity,educationanddigitalinnovationcampaigns,alongwiththefledglingAMERICAREFRAMEDseriesonWORLDChannelthrough2018.ProducedbyAmericanDocumentary,Inc.(AmDoc)andbeginningits29thseasononPBSinJune2016,POVisAmericantelevision’slongest-runningindependentdocumentaryseriesandtherecipientofa2013MacArthurAwardforCreativeandEffectiveInstitutions.Co-producedbytheWORLDChannelandAmDocandbeginningitsfourthseasoninFebruary2016,theEmmy®-nominatedAMERICAREFRAMEDisayear-rounddocumentaryshowcasethatexploresthechangingcontoursofAmerica’sdiversecommunities.POVDigitalre-imaginesnonfictionstorytellingfortheWebbyorganizingHackathonincubatorlabsandco-producingEmmy-nominatedshortsprojects.“MacArthurhasbeenanindispensablesupporterofPOVsincetheseries’veryfirstbroadcastin1988,”saidJustineNagan,executivedirector,AmDoc/executiveproducer,POV.“For28years,AmericanDocumentaryhasbeendedicatedtoinformingandinspiringtheAmericanpublicwithnonfictionstoriesthatresonatedeeplyandhavelastingimpact.LikePOV,AMERICAREFRAMEDcouldnothavelaunchedwithoutMacArthur’searlyandongoingsupportofnewvoicesinpublicmedia.Thisgrantwillallowustokeepinnovatingandexploringontelevision,ontheWeb,intheclassroomandinlocalcommunitiestobringvital,engagingnonfictionstoriestotheAmericanpublic.”POVpremieres14to16feature-lengthdocumentarieseveryyearfromJunetoOctoberandcreatesadditionalopportunitiesforviewerstoexplorethefilmsandtheissuesthroughitswide-rangingcommunityoutreachandeducationalactivities.POVoffersoriginalonlineprogramming,includingdigitaldocumentariesmadeincollaborationwithorganizationssuchasTheNewYorkTimesandinteractiveprojectsseededatPOV’songoingHackathonlabs,whichusetechnologytoexperimentwithnewformsofnonfictionstorytelling. SinceitsfirstbroadcastonPBS,LouisAlvarezandAndrewKolker’sAmericanTongues,POVhaspresentedmorethan400documentariesbyestablishedandemergingdirectors—fromChrisHegedusandD.A.PennebakertoStephanieWang-BrealandJoshuaOppenheimer—thattellpersonalstories,explorecontemporaryissuesandsometimespushtheboundariesofthedocumentarygenreitself.In

additiontofeature-lengthfilms,POVpresentsshorts,includinganimationsfromtherenownedoralhistoryprojectStoryCorps,alsothewinnerofaMacArthurAward.TwofilmmakerswhosefirstfeaturedocumentarieswerebroadcastonPOV—LauraPoitrasandNataliaAlmada—receivedMacArthur“geniusgrants”in2012.Poitras’filmsforPOVincludethePeabodyAward-winningFlagWars(producedandco-directedwithLindaGoodeBryant),theOscar®-nominatedMyCountry,MyCountryandtheSundanceaward-winningTheOath.POVhasbroadcasteachofAlmada’sfeaturedocumentaries:AlOtroLado(TotheOtherSide),ElVelador(TheNightWatchman)andtheSundanceaward-winningElGeneral.In2005,POVpremieredfirst-timefilmmakerMarshallCurry’sOscar-nominatedStreetFightandithasbroadcasteachofhisdocumentariesinthedecadesince,includingRacingDreams,theOscar-nominatedIfaTreeFalls:AStoryoftheEarthLiberationFrontandPointandShoot.POV’s2016seasonwilllookatblackmaleachievement,theemotionalsideofinteractivegamesandthecrisiscausedbydrugcartelsontheU.S.-Mexicanborder,amongothertopics.TodLending’sAlltheDifference,partoftheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting’spublicmediainitiativeAmericanGraduate:Let’sMakeItHappen,followstwoyoungAfrican-Americanmenintheirpursuitofhighereducationandabetterlife;DavidOsitandMalikaZouhali-Worrall’sThankYouforPlayingexploreshowcreatingavideogamehelpsafamilythroughalife-alteringcrisis;andBernardoRuiz’sKingdomofShadowstakesanunflinchinglookatthepersistentU.S.-Mexicandrugwar.Thefilmswillbeaccompaniedbyfreeonlinestreamingandthein-depthwebsites,nationwidescreeningsandcomprehensiveeducationalmaterialsthathavebecomePOV’shallmarks.SeasonfourofAMERICAREFRAMEDbeginsTuesday,Feb.2,2016withDanielleBeverly’sOldSouth,aportraitoftwocommunitieslivingononeblockinGeorgia.Steepedinhistory,eachofthesecommunities—oneblack,onewhite—strivestokeepitslegaciesrelevantinachangingAmericanSouth.HostedbyjournalistNatashaDelToro,AMERICAREFRAMEDcuratesadiverseselectionoffilmsemployinginnovativeandartisticapproachestostorytellingfromemergingandveteranfilmmakersalike.

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TheMacArthurFoundationsupportscreativepeopleandeffectiveinstitutionscommittedtobuildingamorejust,verdantandpeacefulworld.InadditiontoselectingtheMacArthurFellows,theFoundationworkstodefendhumanrights,advanceglobalconservationandsecurity,make

citiesbetterplacesandunderstandhowtechnologyisaffectingchildrenandsociety.Moreinformationisatwww.macfound.org.

POVispublictelevision’spremiershowcasefornonfictionfilms.Since1988,POVhasbeenthehomefortheworld’sboldestcontemporaryfilmmakers,celebratingintriguingpersonalstoriesthatsparkconversationandinspireaction.Alwaysaninnovator,POVdiscoversfreshnewvoices

andcreatesinteractiveexperiencesthatshinealightonsocialissuesandelevatetheartofstorytelling.Withourdocumentarybroadcasts,originalonlineprogramminganddynamiccommunityengagementcampaigns,wearecommittedtosupportingfilmsthatcapturetheimaginationandpresentdiverseperspectives.POVfilmshavewon34Emmy®Awards,18GeorgeFosterPeabodyAwards,12AlfredI.duPont-ColumbiaUniversityAwards,threeAcademyAwards®,thefirst-everGeorgePolkDocumentaryFilmAwardandthePrixItalia.ThePOVserieshasbeenhonoredwithaSpecialNews&DocumentaryEmmyAwardforExcellenceinTelevisionDocumentaryFilmmaking,threeIDAAwardsforBestCuratedSeriesandtheNationalAssociationofLatinoIndependentProducers(NALIP)AwardforCorporateCommitmenttoDiversity.Learnmoreatwww.pbs.org/pov.

POVCommunityEngagementandEducation(www.pbs.org/pov/engage)POV’sCommunityEngagementandEducationteamworkswitheducators,communityorganizationsandPBSstationstopresentmorethan650freescreeningseveryyear.Inaddition,wedistributefreediscussionguidesandstandards-alignedlessonplansforeachofourfilms.Withourcommunitypartners,weinspiredialoguearoundthemostimportantsocialissuesofourtime.POVDigital(www.pbs.org/pov)Since1994,POVDigitalhasdrivennewstorytellinginitiativesandinteractiveproductionforPOV.ThedepartmentcreatedPBS’firstprogramwebsiteanditsfirstweb-baseddocumentary(POV’sBorders)andhaswonmajorawards,includingaWebbyAward(andsixnominations)andanOnlineNewsAssociationAward.POVDigitalcontinuestoexplorethefutureofindependentnonfictionmediathroughitsdigitalproductionsandthePOVHackathonlab,wheremediamakersandtechnologistscollaboratetoreinventstorytellingforms.@povdocsonTwitter.AmericanDocumentary,Inc.(www.amdoc.org)AmericanDocumentary,Inc.(AmDoc)isamultimediaartsorganizationdedicatedtocreating,identifyingandpresentingcontemporarystoriesthatexpressopinionsandperspectivesrarelyfeaturedinmainstreammediaoutlets.AmDocisacatalystforpublicculture,developingcollaborativestrategicengagementactivitiesaroundsociallyrelevantcontentontelevision,onlineandincommunitysettings.Theseactivitiesaredesignedtotriggeraction,fromdialogueandfeedbacktoeducationalopportunitiesandcommunityparticipation.AmDocisa501(c)(3)not-for-profitorganization.MajorfundingforPOVisprovidedbyPBS,TheJohnD.andCatherineT.MacArthurFoundation,theJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation,CorporationforPublicBroadcastingandNationalEndowmentfortheArts.AdditionalfundingcomesfromNancyBlachmanandDaviddesJardins,BerthaFoundation,TheFledglingFund,MargueriteCaseyFoundation,EttingerFoundation,NewYorkStateCouncilontheArts,NewYorkCityDepartmentofCulturalAffairsinpartnershipwiththeCityCouncil,AnnTenenbaumandThomasH.Leeandpublictelevisionviewers.POVispresentedbyaconsortiumofpublictelevisionstations,includingKQEDSanFrancisco,WGBHBostonandTHIRTEENinassociationwithWNET.ORG.

InSeasonFourofAMERICAREFRAMED,viewerswillbeimmersedinpersonalstoriesfromthestreetsoftownsbigandsmalltotheexurbsandcountryroadsthatspanthespectrumofAmericanlife.Thedocumentariesinviteaudiencestoreflectontopicsasvariedasculture,

healthcare,politics,gunviolence,religionandmore.Severalepisodeswillfeaturearoundtablediscussionwithspecialguestcommentatorsandfilmmakers.In2015,AMERICAREFRAMEDwonaGracieAwardforOutstandingSeriesandwasnominatedforanEmmyAwardaswellasanIndependentDocumentaryAssociationAwardforbestcuratedseries.Initsfirstseason,AMERICAREFRAMEDreceivedfive2013CINEGoldenEagleAwardsandoneImagenAwardsnomination.

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