By Black Public Media
After Congress’ 2025 vote to rescind public media funding put the way forward for Peabody Award-winning collection “AfroPoP: The Final Cultural Alternate” in danger, Black Public Media is bringing its signature collection again for an 18th season — remaining on observe for the collection’ milestone one centesimal movie presentation later this yr. Offered by Black Public Media and PBS Plus, “AfroPoP” is the one U.S.-based public media present dedicated to impartial documentaries and narrative movies about up to date life, artwork and tradition throughout the African diaspora.
The brand new season premieres June 15 with “Hearken to Me,” timed forward of Father’s Day and the nationwide Juneteenth celebration. The collection continues July 2 with “This World Is Not My Personal,” because the nation marks the 250th anniversary of American independence and displays on the contributions of all People.
A 3rd title, deliberate for November, will likely be introduced later this yr.
“Hearken to Me,” by Kanika Harris and Stephanie Etienne, follows the tales of three Black girls on the journey to motherhood as they navigate being pregnant, start and care in America. The function documentary sheds gentle on the racial disparities and compounding challenges driving the Black maternal well being disaster whereas honoring the power, sorrow, pleasure and resilience that form these girls’s lives. By intimate storytelling, “Hearken to Me” turns into each an pressing portrait of systemic inequity and a name to motion for justice, therapeutic and generational care. The movie premieres June 15 on the PBS App and PBS.org. Examine native listings for broadcast occasions.
BPM was an early funder of “Hearken to Me,” which was a winner of BPM’s 2021 PitchBLACK Discussion board, the nation’s largest pitching competitors for Black movie and immersive tales, designed to convey vital tales to market.
“This World Is Not My Personal,” by Opendox (Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell), is an award-winning function documentary about Nellie Mae Rowe, the self-taught Black artist whose vibrant, unconventional work emerged from the agricultural South and gained broader recognition late in her life. Overlaying Rowe’s life throughout the twentieth century, the movie explores the experiences and forces that formed her artwork, from her roots because the daughter of a sharecropper and previously enslaved father to her late emergence on the nationwide artwork scene. Combining documentary footage with animation and scripted scenes, the movie presents a luminous portrait of an artist whose creativeness remodeled the odd into the unforgettable.
The movie additionally portrays the unlikely friendship Rowe had with gallery proprietor and humanities patron, Judith Alexander, whose father was a segregationist legal professional. Emmy Award-winning actress Uzo Aduba, identified for her roles on hit tv collection “The Residence” and “Orange Is the New Black,” offers voice and motion to Rowe, whereas Broadway veteran Amy Warren does the identical for Alexander. “This World Is Not My Personal” is the primary feature-length documentary to premiere on BPM’s YouTube channel.
“AfroPoP” is govt produced by BPM Government Director Leslie Fields-Cruz. Denise A. Greene is collection producer/director.
“Congress’ 2025 rescission vote threatened this season of ‘AfroPoP’ but it surely didn’t cease it,” stated Fields-Cruz. “As ‘AfroPoP’ returns and reaches its one centesimal movie presentation, it underscores each the endurance of the collection and the persevering with want for Black tales in public media.”
With its season 18 choices, “AfroPoP” would have introduced 100 various function and brief movies in regards to the African diaspora on public media since its premiere in 2008. Administrators whose movies have appeared within the collection embrace George Amponsah, Joel Zito Araújo, Violeta Ayala, Blitz Bazawule, Yaba Blay, Barron Claiborne, Rebecca Richman Cohen, Bobbito Garcia, Alain Gomis, Thomas Allen Harris, Eric Kabera, Terence Nance, Raoul Peck, Sam Pollard, Michèle Stephenson, Anisia Uzeyman, Marco Williams and Saul Williams.
“”AfroPoP is introduced with the beneficiant help of the Company for Public Broadcasting and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Basis.
To search out out extra about “AfroPoP,” go to https://blackpublicmedia.org/afropop/.
In regards to the presenters
About Black Public Media:
BPM helps the event of visionary content material creators and distributes tales in regards to the international Black expertise to encourage a extra equitable and inclusive future. For 45+ years, BPM has addressed the wants of unserved and underserved audiences. BPM-supported packages have gained 5 Emmys®,10 Peabodys, 5 Anthem Awards, 14 Emmy® nominations and an Oscar® nomination. BPM continues to deal with historic, up to date and systemic challenges that historically impede the event and distribution of Black tales.
About Pbs Plus:
PBS Plus is a syndicated programming service for public tv stations, supplementing the primetime, every day information and kids’s content material within the Nationwide Program Service, offering collection and specials meant for varied dayparts. All PBS member stations, reaching all out there nationwide TV households, have entry to PBS Plus content material. Yearly, stations are supplied with roughly 500 hours of programming through PBS Plus.
PBS Plus collection and specials vary from “how-to” packages comparable to “This Outdated Home” and meals collection comparable to “Household Substances” to topical information and data packages and humanities and cultural reveals comparable to “Austin Metropolis Limits” and “The Caverns Classes.”
