Tyler Strickland shares why he started scoring documentaries, and how filmmakers can best work with composers.

Sudanese civilians facing government bombing celebrate their heritage through music. Watch "Beats of the Antonov" - Monday on PBS.

The music in Only the Young made us think about the role of music in documentary – and in narratives about growing up. Listen to the High School Soundtracks of the main subjects of Only the Young, then share your #myHSsoundtrack with the POV community.

Who wants to rock next weekend at the inaugural CBGB festival? Tom Roston will be giving away two Music/Film Combo passes to the festival in NYC!

Tom Roston shines a light on the slate of documentaries that Hulu has recently added. Amir Bar-Lev's Re:Generation Music Project is of particular note and should play well to Hulu's core audience.

Late last week, TIME magazine published its 2011 TIME 100 list, featuring a group they deem to be “the most influential in the world.” TIME describes those chosen as people whose “ideas spark dialogue and dissent and sometimes even revolution.” Cory Booker and Patti Smith TIME Magazine This year’s list includes two POV alumni: Newark, […]

I envy everyone (including POV peeps) who are in Texas right now. That’s because they’re in close proximity to what promises to be a very awesome day of black funk-ska-punk-rock n’ roll, all thanks to the very cool documentary, Everyday Sunshine, which is screening on Thursday at the SXSW Festival in Austin. The film is […]

They might not make a lot of money. They may not always feed the ego. But documentaries are hip. It’s worth noting in these times (I’ll get to that later) that there are a couple of super cool docs directed by uber-hipster directors that have recently hit theaters. First, there is The Thorn in the […]

Patti Smith‘s got a lot going on in the coming weeks and months: sold-out Bowery Ballroom concerts; “Objects of Life” show with Steven Sebring at the Robert Miller Gallery; new book, Just Kids (pictured, right); poetry reading with Sam Shepard at the 92nd Street Y and of course, POV’s Patti Smith: Dream of Life, which […]

Wednesday night’s POV broadcast of Patti Smith: Dream of Life (9 pm most PBS stations, check local listings) has been generating a lot of critical acclaim in the press and online. Sign On San Diego‘s Remote Possibilities blog names it a “TV Pick of the Week” and part of a “Genius Blowout” when coupled with […]

Forgive me, I know I’m a week late since POV aired the shorts program (you can watch all the short films online at the above link), but I was away and I just saw them…and they were so cool! I hope that you caught them too, maybe in much the same way I have come […]

POV spent some time in Los Angeles earlier this month at the Television Critics Association Press Tour promoting our December special, Patti Smith: Dream of Life. PBS did some interviews with filmmakers, producers and featured subjects of upcoming PBS shows and films. You can find a full line-up of interviews — including filmmakers Ken Burns, […]

M-Team, the rap group consisting of Hamza Perez and his brother Suliman seen in New Muslim Cool, are performing on NBC’s Today Show on Sunday morning at 8 AM. Don’t forget to set your DVRs! You can listen to 2 tracks from M-Team, as well as other music from and inspired by New Muslim Cool, […]

POV’s premiere film of our 2009 season is New Muslim Cool, the story of a young Muslim hip-hop artist confronting the realities of the post-9/11 world — and himself. New Muslim Cool had its world-premiere screening last month at the San Francisco Film Festival. Director Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Hamza Pérez and others associated with the […]

Last week, Tom interviewed Gary Meister, the composer behind the soundtrack for Pulling John, a film that opened at SXSW over the weekend. This week, he talks to one of the film’s directors, Vassiliki Khonsari, about the vision behind the soundtrack and the collaborative process. What kind of music did you want for the film? […]

Earlier this month, filmmaker Leah Mahan shared her memories of Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, the subject of her 2002 POV film Sweet Old Song, in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday on March 4. Armstrong passed away in 2003. Last week, she received news that John Cephas, one of the musicians featured […]

POV alum Helene Klodawsky has been busy at work since her film, No More Tears Sister aired on POV in 2006. Her fascinating new film, Malls R Us, screens at MoMA next week as part of the museum’s Canadian Front 2009 program. We asked her to answer a few questions about the film and about […]

The SXSW festival kicks off on Friday, March 13, with a slate of interesting docs. I figured this would be a good occasion to start a regular feature on Doc Soup where I highlight what the various behind-the-camera people “do” on a documentary. It ain’t always about the director, as we all know. This week, […]