The Grown-Ups by Maite Alberdi
POV, the American television’s longest-running independent documentary series, has announced the lineup for its 30th season, including the documentary features The Grown-Ups / Los niños by Chilean director Maite Alberdi, and Memories of a Penitent Heart by Puerto Rican director Cecilia Aldarondo.
In a school for individuals with Down Syndrome, four middle-aged friends yearn for a life of greater autonomy in a society that marginalizes them as disabled. The Grown-Ups, winner of the Best Female-Directed Film at the 2016 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, is a humorous and at times sad and uncomfortable look at the tragic limbo of conscious adults.
Filmmaker Aldarondo suspected that there was something ugly in her family’s past. Memories of a Penitent Heart excavates a buried conflict around her uncle Miguel, who died at a time when AIDS was synonymous with sin. As she searches for Miguel’s partner decades later, the film — both a love story and a tribute — offers a cautionary tale of how faith can be used and abused in times of crisis.
POV's 30th season begins Monday, June 26, 2017 on PBS with streaming at pov.org and continues with broadcast premieres airing on Mondays at 10 p.m. through fall 2017, with primetime specials airing in 2018.
