Latest news with #TheAmericanRevolution
Axios
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Ken Burns says only PBS could give him enough time to make his films
Ken Burns, the filmmaker behind documentary classics like " The Civil War" and " Jazz," believes he could walk into nearly any video streaming company and walk away with a check for $30 million. But what they couldn't give him is the time and space that PBS has afforded him over the years — including a decade to make his film " The American Revolution," out in November. Why it matters: Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order to slash funding for PBS, which helped bring Burns' documentaries to the wider public for decades. The big picture: Burns said funding cuts are an "existential threat" to investigative work like his own, with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting providing a significant amount of funding for his films. It's all part of a trend to eliminate works that delve into critical analysis, he said, from firing the librarian of Congress to marking the National Endowment for the Humanities, another backer of Burns' films, for elimination. What they're saying: "But I think PBS will survive and be thriving," Burns told Axios. "I think it will be a voice of sanity in the midst of a lot of cacophony that's out there." Driving the news: Burns was recently in Raleigh to promote the upcoming release of "The American Revolution," which he called the most important event since the birth of Christ. He started making the film in 2015, and PBS provided support for nearly a decade to let him realize the story in all its complexity. Zoom in: Burns promises that his new documentary will detail how messy and complicated the Revolution truly was, with brothers and friends turning on each other in bloody battles, and how men could fight for the ideals of freedom while still keeping others enslaved. Like his other documentaries, the film will zero in on the big names, from George Washington to Benedict Arnold, and smaller, largely unknown individuals to tell the story. "We're there to show that there are multiple ways of understanding an event that takes place — not just from the top down, but from the bottom up," he said. "Not just with bold-faced names, but with the so-called ordinary people or unknown people," he added. "Not just from the perspective of colonists, but from the perspective of a Loyalist colonist, or a Native American on the outside, or a Native American on the inside, or a freed Black, or an enslaved Black."
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ken Burns Calls PBS ‘the Declaration of Independence Applied to Broadcasting' After Trump Slashes Funding
PBS is the 'Declaration of Independence applied to broadcasting,' documentarian Ken Burns told Anderson Cooper on 'AC360' Friday night. Burns joined Cooper to explain the necessity and function of public broadcasting the day after Donald Trump signed an executive order slashing funding for both PBS and NPR. Burns launched into an impassioned defense of using taxpayer dollars to fund programming on PBS. 'I think it's important that we do things together as a country,' he explained. PBS has enriched the 'collective lives' of Americans, Burns explained, something he also said is 'indisputable.' Public broadcasting is 'the Declaration of Independence applied to broadcasting. I couldn't have made, Anderson, any of the films I've made, nearly 40 films over the course of the last 45 years, at any other place than PBS.' That isn't because he couldn't raise the necessary funds, but because other networks 'wouldn't have given me the time to be able to explore these subjects.' The filmmaker spent nine years working on 'The American Revolution,' a six-part series. 'You don't get that kind of space anywhere else,' Burns said. Trump's executive order blasts both PBS and NPR as 'radical woke propaganda disguised as 'news'' who benefit from 'millions from taxpayers.' NPR and PBS receive approximately half a billion dollars in public funding, a small fraction of funding available to media outlets. For example, the largest source of funding for NPR– 36% — comes from corporate sponsorships. The second largest source — 30% — is via fees that local public stations pay for access to NPR programming. Funds from taxpayers add up to 1% of the money NPR receives from the U.S. government, and funding for both PBS and NPR is set by Congress. Watch the segment from 'AC360' in the video above. The post Ken Burns Calls PBS 'the Declaration of Independence Applied to Broadcasting' After Trump Slashes Funding | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Commemorate the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride by shining two lights on Friday
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – Friday marks 250 years since Paul Revere's infamous midnight ride to warn colonial leaders of the impending arrival of British troops. The April 18, 1775 ride, which came on the eve of the first battles of the Revolutionary War, was immortalized in a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem with the line '1 if by land, 2 if by sea.' 'The famous signal from [Boston's Old] North Church's steeple that night in '75…meant to shine across the water to others on the opposite shore so that they could carry the message forward not just as a back-up for Paul Revere, but to make sure that the message got spread as far and as wide as possible,' according to the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250). Revere's ride is set to be commemorated Friday with a nationwide initiative that encourages communities to shine two lights into the night as a reminder of the historic turning point in U.S. history. Filmmaker Ken Burns' new documentary 'The American Revolution' comes out this year. Here's when you catch a preview in Charleston Buildings across the Palmetto State, from government offices to historic landmarks to private homes, are invited to participate in the celebration. 'This is an opportunity for all South Carolinians to come together in reflection and observance of the events that led to America's independence from Britain,' said Molly Fortune, CEO of SC250. 'By shining two lights, we honor the bravery and enduring spirit of those who fought for liberty 250 years ago.' SC250 was established by the General Assembly to commemorate the Palmetto State's role in the American Revolution. Hundreds of battles between American and British forces occured on South Carolina soil throughout the war. The nationwide initiative was coordinated by America250 in preparation for the country's 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'I love my country': Ken Burns on showing the dark parts of US history
Ahead of his upcoming PBS documentary, The American Revolution, acclaimed film-maker Ken Burns tells BBC special correspondent Katty Kay about his unique approach to chronicling US history, from war and conflict to baseball and jazz. Titles like Brooklyn Bridge, Prohibition and The Dust Bowl may conjure visions of classroom lessons and by-the-book recitations of facts, but portraying historical events in an approachable – and enthralling – way has become US documentarian Ken Burns's trademark. Since the 1980s, he has brought history and culture to audiences in a way that textbooks simply cannot. Burns's body of work has earned him two Academy Award nominations, two Grammy Awards and 15 Emmy wins. At his home in Walpole, New Hampshire, US, the acclaimed documentary-maker tells BBC special correspondent Katty Kay that, like most creatives, he has more ideas than he knows what to do with. "Your head might be filled with 40 or 50 topics, as my head is always filled up, but when one [topic] drops down to your heart, you realise it's firing on all cylinders," Burns tells Kay. Those topics have ranged from jazz to baseball, and from the granular, such as a chronicle of Leonardo da Vinci's life and work, to the expansive, like 2009's The National Parks: America's Best Idea. "I don't want to tell you stories about what I know," he says. "I'd rather share with you a process of discovery. So, I dive into things that I don't know enough about." His next area of exploration is the 18th Century: his six-part, 12-hour series, The American Revolution, is due to air on PBS on 16 November. The debut coincides with the 250th anniversary of the American War of Independence, which began in the 13 colonies of British America in 1775 and continued for many years, culminating in the founding of a United States of America. "The American Revolution is one of the most important events in human history," Burns told PBS ahead of special screenings for students and teachers across the US. "We went from being subjects to inventing a new concept, citizens, and set in motion democratic revolutions around the globe." On the subject of history, Burns says he does not subscribe to the popular view that it is always doomed to repeat itself, deferring to the opinion of the 19th-Century Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," was Santanya's comment, in reference to the Holocaust. "It's [a] lovely phrase you'd wish would be true," says Burns. He also points to the famous quote that is attributed to US author Mark Twain: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does often rhyme." Burns doesn't gloss over the uncomfortable parts of US history, pointing out that, for him, being patriotic doesn't mean erasing the past; for instance, the fact that Benjamin Franklin owned slaves. "He knew it was wrong, and he kept doing it," Burns says. "At the beginning, growing up, I had a kind of idealised version of my country. I love my country. I don't know anyone who loves their country more than me. I make films about the US, but I make films about us." Burns tells Kay that he believes it can take time for a story's significance to be understood. "I've been interviewing Obama about his administration, and the longer I wait to do that film, the better it will be, because of the perspective that the passage of time will give," Burns says. When asked about the breadth of his work, which ranges from biographies of single individuals to global events, Burns says that he can be laser-focused on the task at hand. As Burns wraps up The American Revolution and the forthcoming Obama project, he says that he has more than enough material to last beyond "the 2030s" – and, in particular, he has his eyes set on a history of the US's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). More like this:• It took nearly 60 years for Brooke Shields to overcome her imposter syndrome• 'I was born to be an actor': Twice-knighted Derek Jacobi on nearly 70 years on the stage and screen• Expect to 'age out' of your career, says Vera Wang – she's had at least four "Somebody asked of Duke Ellington, who is certainly our most prolific [composer, with] maybe 22…, 2,300, 2,400 compositions, what the most important one is. He said, 'The one I'm working on now.' And to me, that's how we feel." Influential with Katty Kay airs on Fridays at 21:30 ET on the BBC News channel. -- For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Filmmaker Ken Burns' new documentary ‘The American Revolution' comes out this year. Here's when you catch a preview in Charleston
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — A new documentary series by filmmaker Ken Burns exploring America's founding and its War for Independence is set to be released in November, but people can catch a sneak peek in Charleston this spring. A preview of the six-part series 'The American Revolution' will be shown May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Sottile Theater in downtown Charleston, with a discussion between Burns and prominent South Carolina historian Dr. Walter Edgar to follow. The series examines 'how America's founding turned the world upside-down' and follows dozens of figures, allowing viewers to 'experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it,' according to PBS. It was directed and produced by Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt and written by Geoffrey C. Ward. 15 concerts to see in Charleston this spring Filming took place in dozens of locations across the U.S., including South Carolina's backcountry, where hundreds of battles between American and British forces happened throughout the war. The Charleston event is a partnership between South Carolina ETV and Public Radio, the College of Charleston, and SC250, a commission commemorating the Palmetto State's role in the American Revolution. Tickets for the May screening in Charleston can be purchased online. The full documentary premieres November 16 and will air for six consecutive nights through November 21 beginning at 8 p.m. on SCETV. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
