Premieres Monday, Sept. 1, 2025 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app
POV follows the journey of Desiree Wood, who takes a second lease on life as a long-haul trucker in "DRIVER," the feature debut of director Nesa Azimi. The documentary captures Desiree Wood’s fight for a life on the road alongside an irreverent gang of women drivers.Over the course of three years, "DRIVER" follows Desiree as she brings together her fellow truck drivers to demand respect in an industry that sees them as anonymous and disposable. In a rapidly changing labor landscape, Desiree and her community of drivers band together against the crushing forces of an industry indifferent to their survival.
Using an intimate and observational lens, "DRIVER" captures the experience of Desiree’s life on the road as she and her fellow women drivers support one another amid a system that routinely promises and denies them the safety and autonomy they require. Desiree struggles to balance the demands of being a working truck driver with her ambitions as the head of a driver-led movement run from the cab of her truck, which is constantly at risk of being repossessed. Working as a truck driver and being part of this sisterhood means everything to Desiree—having found her place in the world, she is determined to keep it.
Filmmaker Quote:
“I wanted to make DRIVER to tell a universal story about labor through the experience of Desiree and her fellow truck drivers; formidable people whose lives are imperiled by corporate and public indifference,” said director Nesa Azimi. “Despite this alienating condition, Desiree and her friends work hard to maintain their bonds and provide solace to one another in an industry that conspires to keep them apart. I chose a durational approach to filming to prioritize an emotional connection to Desiree and her community. This film captures their spirits and tenacity in a real, less mediated way. More than characters defined by plight and circumstances, we see Desiree and her fellow drivers as the tough, hilarious, multifaceted people that they are: women who resist their condition in favor of a more collective way of living and working, with dignity and strength."
Watch On Your Schedule: "DRIVER" will make its national broadcast premiere on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. It will then be available to stream until Nov. 30, 2025 at pbs.org, and the PBS app.
Film Awards:
"DRIVER" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024 and won the Best First-Time Filmmaker Award at the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival (2024). It was also an official selection at the Camden International Film Festival (2024), DC/DOX (2024), and the Palm Springs International Film Festival (2025).
Raves include:
"...a simply-made gaze into an overlooked culture, one deserving of far more respect than it’s received and one that Azimi has captured beautifully."- Brian Farvour, The Playlist
"An existential reminder that life is a long and winding road and that perhaps we would all do well to take more notice of those who are passing along it, servicing needs we rarely even think about."- Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
“A humane and miraculous slice of life.”– Alan French, Sunshine State Cineplex
“A quiet, yet engrossing, fly-on-the-wall style documentary driven by both fascinating characters and brilliantly rendered narrative.”– Joshua Brunsting, Criterion Cast
Credits: A Goldfish Films production. Nesa Azimi is the director. The producers are Azimi, Nicolas Borel, and Ines Hofmann Kanna. The screenwriters and editors are Nesa Azimi and Nicolas Borel. Qutaiba Barhamji is the consulting editor. The Director of Photography is Carissa Henderson and Victor Tadashi Suárez, and Joel Van Haren is the cinematographer. Anne Balay is an advisor. Ethan Yake and Insiyah Haveliwala are theco-executive producers. The executive producers are Maxyne Franklin, and Erika Dilday and Chris White for American Documentary.
Now in its 38th season, POV continues to mark its place as America’s longest-running nonfiction series.
