56 Up premieres Monday, October 14, 2013 at 10 PM on PBS stations. (Check local listings.) The film will be available for streaming on the POV website from October 15 to November 13, 2013.
In 1964, a group of British 7-year-olds were interviewed about their lives and dreams in a groundbreaking television documentary, Seven Up. Since then, in one of the greatest projects in television history, renowned director Michael Apted has returned to film the same subjects every seven years, tracking their ups and downs. POV, which presented the U.S. broadcast premiere of 49 Up in 2007, returns with 56 Up to find the group settling into middle age and surprisingly upbeat. Through marriage and childbirth, poverty and illness, the “kids” have come to terms with both hope and disappointment. Winner, 2013 George Foster Peabody Award for the ‘Up’ series.
You can visit the 56 Up companion site to watch the full film online for free for a limited time following the broadcast, view a video interview with the director, download a discussion guide and other viewing resources, and play an online game that revisits the eras of the Up series.
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