Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Arts & Culture

Family Of Us: A PBS American Portrait Story

Key Art for PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT "Family of Us."
Courtesy of PBS and RadicalMedia
Key Art for PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT "Family of Us."

Stream now or tune in Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 at 9:30 p.m. on KPBS TV - CANCELED

PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT, a crowdsourced storytelling project, presents two new half-hour documentary specials, which will premiere Sunday, Aug. 2 and Friday, Oct. 16, 2020.

The first special, “Family Of Us: A PBS American Portrait Story,” captures a moving and meaningful picture of families in America today and the way these relationships shape us.

Surrounded by a chorus of voices from user generated submissions from across the country, the program provides a personal look at two very different main stories that reveal how we value our relatives now more than ever.

Advertisement
Lumiere R. goes on a walk with Bobby P., their 79 year old grandfather who has been battling dementia for the past 10 years.
Courtesy of PBS/RadicalMedia/Lumiere R.
Lumiere R. goes on a walk with Bobby P., their 79 year old grandfather who has been battling dementia for the past 10 years.

First is Lumiere R., a recent film school graduate, who moved to Griffin, Georgia to help care for their grandparents and document their stories, as their grandfather’s dementia threatens to erase much of the family’s collective memory.

Amelia G. visits with her father, Ernesto G., for the first time since he was incarcerated.
Courtesy of PBS/RadicalMedia/Amelia G.
Amelia G. visits with her father, Ernesto G., for the first time since he was incarcerated.

Second is Amelia G., whose father was released from prison in February after serving 10 years for a crime he did not commit. After months of delays due to the pandemic, Amelia is finally able to fly from New York City to San Francisco for the long-awaited reunion with her father.

Watch On Your Schedule:

This program is available to stream on demand.

With the PBS Video App, you can stream your favorite and local station shows. Download it for free on your favorite device. The app allows you to catch up on recent episodes and discover award-winning shows.

Advertisement

Airing in October:

“Generation Nation: A PBS American Portrait Story” explores how people in different age groups, from adolescents to seniors, see themselves and their place in America. It reveals the common experiences that bind people together within and across age groups and the generational differences that can put us at odds with one another.

More About The Project:

Since it was launched in early January 2020, the PBS AMERICAN PORTRAIT website has collected thousands of stories by Americans that, together, hope to answer the question: What does it really mean to be an American today?

With millions of users coming to the site to explore the thousands of stories submitted from people all over America, PBS recently added to the site two new prompts — “Family looks like…” and “At this point in my life…” — allowing people across the country to share personal stories about the topics explored in the two specials.

PBS American Portrait is on Facebook and Instagram. Follow @PortraitPBS on Twitter. #AmericanPortraitPBS

Both specials are produced by PBS and RadicalMedia.