POV’s 33rd season will premiere on PBS this summer with stories of hope and shared humanity during these unprecedented times, featuring five Latin American and U.S. Latinx-themed documentaries, four titles co-presented with Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB).
America’s longest-running documentary series continues its longstanding commitment to Latinx films, directors, and stories with the broadcast premieres of five powerful documentaries that showcase unsung heroes and unforgettable protagonists. Premieres continue through fall 2020 with primetime specials in early 2021, along with short, streaming and interactive releases throughout the season.
“For years, POV has celebrated diverse Latino voices and the communities from which they come. It’s wonderful to be able to continue that tradition with this rich selection of films,” said POV executive producer Chris White.
"LPB is proud to partner with POV to present four remarkable films—And She Could be Next, We Are The Radical Monarchs, The Infiltrators and Through The Night—that explore the rich diversity of the Latino experience," says Sandie Viquez Pedlow, Executive Director of Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB). "In this historic year that finds our nation and our community facing unprecedented challenges, it's more important than ever that our Latino stories and our voices be heard."
Throughout its history, POV has featured landmark films by Latin American and Latinx filmmakers including Señorita Extraviada by Lourdes Portillo, Nostalgia for the Light by Patricio Guzmán, El Velador by Natalia Almada, 306 Hollywood by Elan and Jonathan Bogarín, Memories of a Penitent Heart by Cecilia Aldarondo, The Grown-Ups by Maite Alberdi, Reportero by Bernardo Ruiz, and Presumed Guilty by Roberto Hernández, Layda Negrete and Geoffrey Smith. Two of last season’s Latinx POV selections, América and The Silence of Others, have been announced as nominees for this year’s prestigious Peabody Awards.
POV’s historic 33rd season kicks off with Linda Goldstein Knowlton’s We Are The Radical Monarchs on July 20 at 9 p.m., available to stream on all PBS platforms, including PBS.org, the PBS Video App and pov.org. The documentary, which debuted at SXSW Film Festival 2019, follows a group of young girls of color on the frontlines of social justice. Radical Monarchs co-founders, Latinx activist Anayvette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest —two queer women of color and working mothers — share their journey as they grow the group in Oakland, a city with a deep history of organizing and social justice movements. “I think self-empowerment and self-worth for young girls of color is really critical, and it’s really lacking,” says Martinez. “How do we create alternative spaces where that can happen?”
A hopeful story of sisterhood and self-love, the film shines a spotlight on the next generation of inspiring activists. We watch the first Radical Monarchs troop over three years, as members earn badges related to the environment and disability justice. The documentary is one of several stories this season that reimagines what learning can look like, a message that’s more timely than ever at a time when nationwide school closures have revealed systemic gaps and inequities in education.
POV explores themes of civic engagement throughout this pivotal election year, as filmmakers address issues of ethics and inclusivity in front of and behind the lens. Sundance Film Festival favorite The Infiltrators by Latinx filmmakers Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera is a hybrid docu-thriller about young immigrants who purposely get arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol to help stop deportations.
The multi-part documentary And She Could Be Next follows a defiant movement of Latinx female politicians, featuring Los Angeles-based Maria Elena Durazo and El Paso-based Veronica Escobar, along with other women of color as they fight to transform American politics from the ground up. The miniseries was produced by an all women of color crew, including Latinx field directors Deborah Esquenazi and Anayansi Prado. This is POV’s first miniseries, and will precede the season as a special presentation airing on June 29 and 30 with Spanish subtitles.
In addition to national broadcast exposure, POV plays a critical role in early project support for diverse and underrepresented artists. Through the Night explores the close bonds forged between parents, children and caregivers at a 24-hour daycare in New Rochelle, New York—a community in the news due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed by Afro-Latinx filmmaker Loira Limbal, the documentary was selected to be part of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.
Chilean documentarian Maite Alberdi returns to POV for the third time with The Mole Agent, another 2020 Sundance film, about an 83-year-old widower who goes undercover in a retirement home—calling to mind our nation's senior care facilities, which remain vulnerable and isolated during this time.
Broadcast on the national PBS schedule, POV is available to millions of viewers on-air, online and in communities. Alongside feature-length documentaries, POV will showcase short-form and nonlinear content throughout the year. POV Spark, the interactive arm of the series, just launched the first volume of PUBLIC UPDATE featuring Lucia Hierro’s Mercado. To support educators and parents tackling remote learning, POV will produce educational resources for every episode, including lesson plans, discussion guides and reading lists with several materials available in Spanish.
POV Season 33 Schedule
And She Could Be Next
June 29 & 30, 2020 at 9 p.m.
Directed by Grace Lee and Marjan Safinia
And She Could Be Next follows a defiant movement of women of color as they transform politics from the ground up. Filmed during the historic 2018 midterm elections, the series features organizers and candidates (including Rashida Tlaib and Stacey Abrams) as they fight for a truly reflective government, asking whether democracy can be preserved—and made stronger—by those most marginalized. A co-production of POV and ITVS in association with the Center for Asian American Media and Latino Public Broadcasting. A co-presentation of Black Public Media and the Center for Asian American Media.
We Are the Radical Monarchs
July 20, 2020 at 9 p.m.
Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton
Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color on the frontlines of social justice. Set in Oakland, California, the film documents the journey of the group as they earn badges for completing units on such subjects as being an LGBTQ ally, preserving the environment and disability justice. We follow the two founders as they face the challenge to grow the organization, before and after the 2016 election. A co-presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting.
The Infiltrators
October 5, 2020
Directed by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra
The Infiltrators is a docu-thriller that tells the true story of two young immigrants who get detained by the U.S. Border Patrol—on purpose—and put in a shadowy for-profit detention center. Marco and Viri are members of the National Immigrant Youth Alliance, a group of radical Dreamers who are on a mission to stop deportations. And the best place to stop deportations, they believe, is in detention. Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival. A co-presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting.
The Mole Agent
January 25, 2021
Directed by Maite Alberdi
When 83-year-old Sergio is sent as an undercover spy to a Chilean retirement home to track suspected elder abuse, he learns a deeper lesson about human connection. Through the lens of the hidden camera in his decoy glasses, viewers watch as Sergio struggles to balance his assignment with his increasing involvement in the lives of several residents. Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival. A co-production of POV and ITVS.
Through The Night
May 10, 2021
Directed by Loira Limbal
In New Rochelle, New York, a 24-hour daycare is a lifesaver for parents who work multiple jobs and odd hours to make ends meet. Through the stories of two working mothers and a childcare provider, Through the Night reveals the personal cost of rising wealth inequality in America and the close bonds forged between parents, children and caregivers. Official Selection, Tribeca Film Festival. A co-production of POV and ITVS in association with Latino Public Broadcasting and Black Public Media.
