As fall approaches and the leaves begin to change, one thing won’t: POV’s slate of bold, captivating documentaries! We’re streaming 26 documentaries from current and past seasons, including a large collection of films directed by women. You can stream the 50+ POV shorts and feature films at pov.org/video and the POV channel on your PBS app.
Fall into more great documentaries on POV.
The Birth of Saké (2016)
Go behind the scenes at Japan’s Yoshida Brewery, where a brotherhood of artisans, ranging from 20 to 70, spend six months in nearly monastic isolation as they follow an age-old process to create saké, the nation’s revered rice wine. A co-presentation with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Winner, Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Director, 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
Streaming September 6 – September 19, 2016
All the Difference (2016)
Accompany two African-American teens from the South Side of Chicago on their journey to achieve their dream of graduating from college. A co-production of American Documentary | POV; Part of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Streaming September 13 – October 12, 2016
American Promise (2014)
In American Promise, African-American parents Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson film their son and his friend, who attend one of the country’s most prestigious private schools.
Streaming September 13 – October 12, 2016
2015 News & Documentary Emmy Nominee
Only the Young (2013)
Three teens in a Southern California town wrestle with questions of love and friendship along with adult realities of financial uncertainty.
Streaming September 13 – October 12, 2016
56 Up (2013)
In 1964 a group of 7-year-old children were interviewed for the groundbreaking documentary Seven Up. Michael Apted has been back to film them every seven years since. Now they are 56.
Streaming September 13 – October 12, 2016
2014 News & Documentary Emmy Nominee
Art and Craft (2015)
A cat-and-mouse caper told with humor and compassion, Art and Craft uncovers the universal in one man’s search for connection and respect. Official Selection of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Named a Top 5 Documentary by the National Board of Review. Produced in association with American Documentary | POV.
Streaming September 13 – October 12, 2016
2016 News & Documentary Emmy Nominee
Point and Shoot (2015)
In 2006, Matt VanDyke left his home in search of a “crash course in manhood” and ended up amidst a revolution in the Middle East. A co-production of Marshall Curry Productions, American Documentary | POV and ITVS. Winner, Best Documentary Feature Award, 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
Streaming September 13 – September 23, 2016
2016 News & Documentary Emmy Nominee
Cutie and the Boxer (2015)
An Oscar®-nominated reflection on love, sacrifice and the creative spirit, this candid New York tale explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and artist Noriko Shinohara.Winner, Directing Award: U.S. Documentary, 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
Streaming September 13 – October 12, 2016
2016 News & Documentary Emmy Winner
StoryCorps Shorts: Traffic Stop (2015)
Alex Landau, who is African American, recalls how he nearly lost his life following a traffic stop with the Denver police. He and his mother, Patsy, who is white, remember that night and how it changed them both forever.
Streaming until July 24, 2019
2016 News & Documentary Emmy Winner
Dance For Me (2014)
At 15, Russian ballroom dancer Egor leaves everyone and everything he knows for a chance to team up with 14-year-old Mie, one of Denmark’s most promising young performers. Will his choice be worth the sacrifices he must make?
Streaming September 13 – October 12, 2016
2015 News & Documentary Emmy Nominee
Kingdom of Shadows (2016)
Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz takes an unflinching look at the hard choices and destructive consequences of the U.S.-Mexico drug war. Witness the human side of the conflict through the eyes of a U.S. drug enforcement agent, an activist nun in Mexico and a former Texas smuggler. A co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB).
Streaming September 20, 2016 – October 19, 2016
Marathon (2016)
In Theo Rigby and Kate McLean’s short film Marathon, an undocumented immigrant, Julio Sauce, competes in the New York City Marathon. This film is part of Immigrant Nation, an interactive storytelling project designed to collect immigrant narratives and share them with the world.
Streaming September 20, 2016 – September 20, 2020
Reportero (2013)
A veteran reporter and his colleagues at an independent newsweekly defy powerful drug cartels and corrupt officials to continue publishing the news.
Streaming September 20 – October 19, 2016
2014 News & Documentary Emmy Nominee
Don’t Tell Anyone (No Le Digas a Nadie) (2015)
In a community where silence is seen as necessary for survival, immigrant activist Angy Rivera joins a generation of Dreamers ready to push for change in the only home she’s ever known — the United States. A co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting.
Streaming September 26 – October 16, 2016
2016 George Foster Peabody Award Winner
From This Day Forward (2016)
When director Sharon Shattuck’s father came out as transgender, Sharon was in the awkward throes of middle school. As the Shattucks reunite to plan Sharon’s wedding, she seeks a deeper understanding of how her parents’ marriage, and their family, survived intact.
Streaming October 10 – October 23, 2016
Pink Boy (2016)
An intimate portrait of a gender-nonconforming boy growing up in conservative rural Florida.
Streaming October 10, 2016 – October 10, 2019
Getting Back to Abnormal (2014)
Election time in New Orleans: Corruption. Racism. Dancing in the streets. And one in-your-face politician trying to get re-elected. Let the good times roll.
Streaming October 11 – November 8, 2016
Georgie Girl (2003)
What are the chances that a former prostitute could be elected a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand by a conservative, rural district? What if that person was also transgender? The odds may seem daunting, but Georgina Beyer did it.
Streaming October 11 – November 8, 2016
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case (2015)
How the government’s attempts to silence Ai Weiwei have turned him into China’s most powerful artist and an irrepressible voice for free speech and human rights around the globe. Official Selection of the 2013 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
Streaming October 18 -November 16, 2016
Fallen City (2014)
After an earthquake levels Beichuan, China, a modern replica rises with astounding speed, but while a city can be rebuilt quickly, reconstructing a community’s heart and soul is a long, emotional journey for the survivors.
Streaming October 18 – November 16, 2016
2015 News & Documentary Emmy Nominee
Web Junkie (2015)
An extraordinary look into a internet addiction rehab in Beijing, China, the first country in the world to classify this evolving diagnosis. Official Selection of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Streaming October 18 – November 16, 2016
High Tech, Low Life (2013)
High Tech, Low Life follows two of China’s first citizen-reporters, bloggers who are fighting censorship to document the underside of the country’s rapid economic development.
Streaming October 18 – November 16, 2016
2013 Grierson Award Winner
Hooligan Sparrow (2016)
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (aka Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to southern China as they seek justice in the case of six elementary school girls allegedly sexually abused by their principal. A co-presentation with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Official Selection of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
Streaming October 18 – October 31, 2016
When I Walk (2014)
Jason DaSilva was 25 and a rising filmmaker when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and inspired to film this forthright — and surprisingly uplifting — look at his new life. He searches for a cure, yet a different miracle comes his way.Official Selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. A co-production of ITVS. A co-presentation with CAAM.
Streaming October 25 – November 9, 2016
2015 News & Documentary Emmy Winner
Thank You For Playing (2016)
When Ryan Green, a video game programmer, learns that his young son Joel has cancer, he and his wife begin documenting their emotional journey with a poetic video game. Thank You for Playing follows Ryan and his family over two years creating “That Dragon, Cancer,” which evolves from a cathartic exercise into a critically acclaimed work of art that sets the gaming industry abuzz. A co-production of American Documentary | POV and ITVS. Official Selection of the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
Streaming October 25 – November 23, 2016
Koch (2014)
Meet Ed Koch, the quintessential New Yorker. Combative, funny and blunt, he was mayor from 1978 to 1989, an era of graffiti, near-bankruptcy and crime. Before his death in 2013, the intensely private man recalled his life and legacy.
Streaming October 25 – November 8, 2016
Neurotypical (2013)
A 4-year-old, a teenager and an adult, all on the autism spectrum and at pivotal moments in their lives, work with their perceptual and behavioral differences in a “neurotypical” world.
Streaming October 25 – November 5, 2016
Note: POV’s license agreements may limit availability of films outside the United States.
See the full list of what’s streaming at any time at pov.org/video or on the POV channel in your PBS app.
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