CHARLOTTE, NC (August 23, 2011) – WTVI is an important portal for viewers to learn more about the people and places in and around Charlotte as well as the entire globe.
“WTVI’s fall lineup is the richest, most adventurous content we have ever shared,” says Elsie Garner, CEO. “Our local and national partnerships are bringing provocative lessons from history, the arts, and present day battlefields.”
This fall, WTVI is proud to partner with talented local producers to premiere the following programs:
WTVI premieres new local documentaries:
• Charlotte’s Own Bearden at 100. Romare Howard Bearden was born on September 2, 1911, in Charlotte. Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Bearden experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles, but is best known for his richly textured collages, two of which appeared on the covers of Fortune and Time magazines. His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art. WTVI will host a preview at the Mint Museum Uptown on September 2, 2011. The program airs September 7, 2011, at 8 p.m. Steve Crump, longtime WTVI collaborator, is the local producer. The Jerald Melburg Gallery is the title sponsor.
• John Belk: A Portrait in Principle. John Belk is among the two or three most influential people in Charlotte’s recent history, but his definitive story has never been told for television. The region’s premier business host, Chris William, and his team have produced this in-depth look at John Belk’s life. Airs September 14, 2011, at 9 p.m.
• Rural Mecklenburg: A Vanishing Way of Life. This documentary illustrates the way of life that characterized most of Mecklenburg County from its earliest beginnings in the 1760's until the mid-1900s. The program premieres October 5 at 10 p.m. Rural Mecklenburg is by producers Dan Morrill and L.G. Walker.
• City of Canvas: The Story of Camp Greene. Completed after years of research, this show reminds us of important but somewhat overlooked chapter in Charlotte’s history. Camp Greene was a World War I training camp in Charlotte from 1917 to 1919. Produced by Jack Dillard and a team of advisors on the project that includes Dr. Dan Morrill, professor of history at UNC Charlotte and Consulting Director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission; Joyce Reimann, Manager, and Jane Johnson, Librarian, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Airs on Veterans Day, November 11, 2011 at 9 p.m.
• Overdraft. From Davidson producer Scott Galloway, this documentary presents a broad explanation of America’s federal debt and the choices Americans will have to make to fix it. This film describes the connections, opportunities, and consequences of debt at the federal, state, and local levels of government. Airs in January 2012.
WTVI will also take viewers into new worlds by featuring these nationally-produced programs and hosting local events around the premieres:
• Women, War & Peace is a bold new five-part PBS television series challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men’s domain. The series reveals how the post-Cold War proliferation of small arms has changed the landscape of war, with women becoming primary targets and suffering unprecedented casualties. Yet they are simultaneously emerging as necessary partners in brokering lasting peace and as leaders in forging new international laws governing conflict. Featuring narrators Matt Damon, Tilda Swinton, Geena Davis and Alfre Woodard, Women, War & Peace is the most comprehensive global media initiative ever mounted on the roles of women in war and peace. The series is a co-production of THIRTEEN and Fork Films.
The five episodes in the series:
I Came to Testify is the moving story of how a group of 16 women who had been imprisoned and raped by Serb-led forces in the Bosnian town of Foca broke history’s great silence – and stepped forward to take the witness stand in an international court of law. Their remarkable courage resulted in a triumphant verdict that led to new international laws about sexual violence in war. Narrated by Matt Damon. Produced and Written by Pamela Hogan.
Pray the Devil Back to Hell is the astonishing story of the Liberian women who took on the warlords and regime of dictator Charles Taylor in the midst of a brutal civil war, and won a once unimaginable peace for their shattered country in 2003. Directed by Gini Reticker. Produced by Abigail E. Disney. Co-produced by Johanna Hamilton.
When the U.S. troop surge was announced in late 2009, women in Afghanistan knew that the ground was being laid for peace talks with the Taliban. Peace Unveiled follows three women in Afghanistan who are risking their lives to make sure that women’s rights don’t get traded away in the deal. Narrated by Tilda Swinton. Directed by Gini Reticker. Produced by Claudia Rizzi. Written by Abigail E. Disney.
The War We Are Living travels to Cauca, a mountainous region in Colombia’s Pacific southwest, where two extraordinary Afro-Colombian women are braving a violent struggle over their gold-rich lands. They are standing up for a generation of Colombians who have been terrorized and forcibly displaced as a deliberate strategy of war. Narrated by Alfre Woodard. Produced by Oriana Zill de Granados. Written by Pamela Hogan and Oriana Zill de Granados.
War Redefined, the capstone of Women, War & Peace, challenges the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men’s domain through incisive interviews with leading thinkers, Secretaries of State and seasoned survivors of war and peace-making. Interviewees include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee; Bosnian war crimes investigator Fadila Memisevic; and globalization expert Moisés Naím. Narrated by Geena Davis. Produced and Written by Peter Bull. Co-produced by Nina Chaudry.
Women, War & Peace airs Fridays at 10 p.m., beginning October 14, 2011. WTVI’s Beverly Dorn-Steele will host a community panel discussion to complement this series.
• Prohibition: Discover the true story of America’s “Great Experiment.” Go beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum-runners, flappers and speakeasies to experience the rise, rule and fall of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s documentary. Airs on WTVI October 3, 4 and 5 at 8 p.m.
• The PBS Arts Festival: As part of its commitment to increasing access and participation in the arts, PBS is hosting a multi-platform arts festival this fall, beginning October 15 and airing Saturday nights through November 25 and in mid-December on WTVI, with content featuring artists and performances from nine different communities around the country and celebrity hosts from each locale. In addition, WTVI will include short video segments highlighting the arts in the local community, immersive online exhibits extending the broadcast specials, and innovative classroom tools to help fill gaps in arts education.
The initial programs to be featured in the festival are (in alphabetical order):
PBS Arts from Chicago: AMERICAN MASTERS “Bill T. Jones: A Good Man” – Follow award-winning director/choreographer Bill T. Jones’s intense creative journey as he leads his company in the creation of Fondly Do We Hope... Fervently Do We Pray, an original dance-theater piece in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial. “Bill T. Jones: A Good Man” is a co-production of A Good Man Film LLC, Kartemquin Films, Independent Television Service (ITVS), THIRTEEN’s American Masters for WNET, and Media Process Group, with the cooperation of the Ravinia Festival. The evening’s presentation is in collaboration with PBS member station WTTW.
PBS Arts from Seattle: AMERICAN MASTERS “Pearl Jam Twenty” – In honor of Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary, award-winning director and music journalist Cameron Crowe creates a definitive portrait of the seminal band carved from over 1,200 hours of rarely and never-before-seen footage, plus 24 hours of recently shot concert and interview footage. “Pearl Jam Twenty” chronicles the years leading up to the band’s formation, the chaos that ensued soon after their rise to mega-stardom, their step back from center stage and the creation of a work culture that would sustain them. Part concert film, part insider hang, part testimonial to the power of music and uncompromising artists, the film celebrates the freedom that allowed Pearl Jam a way to make music without losing sight of what mattered most to them — their fans and the music fans that they themselves had always been. AMERICAN MASTERS is a production of Thirteen for WNET. The evening’s presentation is in collaboration with PBS member station KCTS.
PBS Arts from Minnesota: GILBERT AND SULLIVAN’S HMS PINAFORE – Delight in this spectacular new production of the beloved Gilbert and Sullivan classic from the Guthrie Theater, directed by the theater’s artistic director, Joe Dowling. Infused with fresh musical arrangements of Sir Arthur Sullivan’s memorable melodies — ranging from big band swing to classic pop — HMS Pinafore is pure joy and sensational entertainment for everyone. The evening’s presentation is produced by PBS member station Twin Cities Public Television (tpt).
PBS Arts from the Blue Ridge Mountains: GIVE ME THE BANJO (w.t.) – Narrated by actor/comedian Steve Martin, a banjoist himself, the film explores the roots of American music — the minstrel show, ragtime and early jazz, blues, old-time, folk, bluegrass and country. It is a story of America’s quintessential musical instrument from its African slavery roots to the 21st century, featuring performances and commentary from contemporary folk musicians such as Pete Seeger, Earl Scruggs, Taj Mahal, Béla Fleck and the Carolina Chocolate Drops, as well as from leading music historians, instrument builders and collectors. “Give Me the Banjo” is produced and directed by Marc Fields with Michael Kantor as executive producer. Tony Trischka is co-producer and music director. The evening’s presentation is in collaboration with PBS member station UNC-TV (North Carolina).
PBS Arts from Los Angeles: GREAT PERFORMANCES “Il Postino from LA Opera” – Bask in the beautiful voice of world-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo with the LA Opera in this romantic new opera by composer Daniel Catán based on the Oscar-winning Italian film. GREAT PERFORMANCES is a production of Thirteen for WNET New York Public Media. The evening’s presentation is in cooperation with PBS SoCal (Southern California).
PBS Arts from San Francisco: GREAT PERFORMANCES “The Little Mermaid from San Francisco Ballet” – Experience Hans Christian Andersen’s haunting tale of love with San Francisco Ballet’s production of John Neumeier’s inventive ballet. The original score is by young Russian-American composer Lera Auerbach. Part of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ “Dance in America,” GREAT PERFORMANCES “The Little Mermaid from San Francisco Ballet” is a production of Thirteen for WNET New York Public Media. The evening’s presentation is in collaboration with PBS member station KQED.
PBS ARTS from Miami: GREAT PERFORMANCES “Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine & Tharp” – Witness the grace and beauty of one of America’s finest dance companies, Edward Villella’s Miami City Ballet, in a trio of signature works by George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp. Watch the company’s critically acclaimed performances of Balanchine’s “Square Dance” and “Western Symphony” and Tharp’s “The Golden Section.” Part of GREAT PERFORMANCES’ “Dance in America,” GREAT PERFORMANCES “Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine & Tharp” is a production of Thirteen for WNET New York Public Media. The evening’s presentation is in collaboration with PBS member station WPBT.
PBS Arts from New York: GREAT PERFORMANCES “Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park” – The broadcast premiere of internationally acclaimed tenor Andrea Bocelli’s free concert in Central Park features his best-known and best-loved songs with an array of surprise guests from throughout the music world. Bocelli will be accompanied by the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of music director Alan Gilbert and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, conducted by Joe Miller.
GREAT PERFORMANCES “Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park” is a production of, and is presented in collaboration with, Thirteen for WNET New York Public Media.
PBS Arts from Cleveland: WOMEN WHO ROCK – From Bessie Smith to Janis Joplin to Lady Gaga, this performance documentary vibrates with energy as it traces the indelible mark that amazing women musicians have made on America’s soundtrack. Inspired by the “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power” exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, “Women Who Rock” reveals new insights into what it means to be female in the male-dominated world of rock and roll, while exploring how those dynamics between the sexes have changed with time. The film is produced by Susan Wittenberg and Carol Stein with assistance from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The evening’s presentation is in collaboration with PBS member station WVIZ/PBS ideastream®.
About WTVI, Charlotte’s PBS station
WTVI is an essential community resource that connects people in the heart of the Carolinas. A public television station, WTVI offers a diverse mix of quality programs and services designed to inform, educate and entertain. From award-winning children’s programming to groundbreaking documentaries and original music performances, WTVI offers quality content viewers can trust. WTVI reaches more than 380,000 households in its 13-county area in both North and South Carolina: Mecklenburg, Gaston, Lincoln, Rowan, Iredell, Stanly, Union, Anson, Catawba, Cabarrus, Cleveland in North Carolina and York and Lancaster in South Carolina. www.wtvi.org
Contact:
WTVI
Jeff Vawter
704.371.8839
jvawter@wtvi.org
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