Downloads: Press Release
Powerhouse Documentary Series and the Nation’s News Source of Record
Kick-Off New Initiative Saturday, March 8, 2014 with the Premiere of
“The Men of Atalissa” on the Websites of POV and The New York Times
New York, NY, March 7, 2014 – PBS’s award-winning independent documentary series POV (Point of View) and The New York Times today announced a collaboration to present new documentaries on the organizations’ websites, www.pbs.org/pov/ and www.nytimes.com. Starting Saturday, March 8 with the half-hour film “The Men of Atalissa” by Dan Barry and Kassie Bracken, POV and The New York Times will premiere a series of digital documentaries, with accompanying articles and interviews, throughout 2014.
“The Men of Atalissa,” produced by The New York Times, will kick off simultaneously on the websites of POV and The Times on March 8. Concurrently, an article by The New York Times’s Dan Barry will be published on The Times website, and POV will feature a behind-the-scenes online interview with the journalists. Mr. Barry’s article will appear in the Sunday print edition of The New York Times on the following day.
Produced by Kassie Bracken, John Woo and Dan Barry, “The Men of Atalissa” is the evocative, haunting story of a few dozen men with intellectual disability who lived in an old schoolhouse on top of a hill. For more than three decades, they were an integral part of an Iowa farming community, worshipping at the local churches, dancing at the local bars, working at a nearby turkey-processing plant; they were affectionately known as “the boys.” But none of their neighbors knew of the day-to-day abuse the men endured in that schoolhouse on the hill.
“Documentaries and journalism are natural allies, and our collaboration with The New York Times represents the best of both worlds,” said Cynthia Lopez, Co-Executive Producer of POV. “Americans are hungry for in-depth information. With this initiative, nonfiction filmmakers will join forces with the newsroom’s top journalists to inform and engage the public about critical social issues.”
“We are excited to be working with POV, television’s definitive showcase for independent documentary films,” said Ann Derry, The Times Editorial Director, Video Partnerships. “‘The Men of Atalissa’ continues The New York Times’s rich tradition of documentary filmmaking. It’s an extraordinary project and we look forward to an ongoing collaboration with POV.”
Previous collaborations by the two organizations include The Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg and The Times, a special New York Times Community Affairs/POV forum held in 2011. A panel moderated by New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson was the first public forum with Dr. Ellsberg and The Times since the Pentagon Papers were published in 1971. The event became part of POV’s broadcast of the Oscar®-nominated film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers and it was streamed online.
Other major Times screenings have featured the POV documentaries Reportero, The Light in Her Eyes and If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front. For information about future POV films, visit www.pbs.org/pov/.
POV
Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and beginning its 27th season on PBS in 2014, POV is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today’s best independent documentary filmmakers. POV has brought more than 365 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide. Its films have won 32 Emmys, 15 George Foster Peabody Awards, 11 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards® and the Prix Italia. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today’s most pressing social issues. Follow POV @povdocs.
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the Wyncote Foundation, The Educational Foundation of America and public television viewers. Special support provided by The Fledgling Fund. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.
POV Digital
Since 1994, POV Digital has driven new storytelling initiatives and interactive production for POV. The department created PBS’s first program website and its first web-based documentary (POV’s Borders) and has won major awards, including a Webby Award (and six nominations) and an Online News Association Award. POV Digital continues to explore the future of independent nonfiction media through its digital productions and the POV Hackathon lab, where media makers and technologists collaborate to re-invent storytelling forms. www.pbs.org/pov/.
The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) is a global media organization dedicated to enhancing society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information. The company includes The New York Times, International New York Times, NYTimes.com, INYT.com and related properties. It is known globally for excellence in its journalism, and innovation in its print and digital storytelling and its business model. Follow news about the company at @NYTimesComm.
