Premieres Monday, July 27, 2026 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+
"For Venida, For Kalief" introduces the poetry of Venida Brodnax Browder, mother of Kalief Browder, the African American teenager whose wrongful incarceration helped ignite calls for reform in the U.S. justice system.
Blending vérité, poetic imagery, and rare archival footage of 1970s New York featuring the Black Panthers, the film centers Venida’s voice as it explores grief, resilience, and the enduring impact of mass incarceration on communities of color, including Black, Latino, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, and Asian communities.
A tender and deeply reflective work, the film moves across past, present, and future, illuminating the long cycle of incarceration while tracing contemporary efforts to transform Rikers Island into a renewable energy site. Interweaving spirituality and advocacy, it reimagines the “criminal justice” documentary as a poetic, emotionally resonant collage.
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Credits: Co-produced with ITVS. Co-presentation with Black Public Media. Participants/Cast: Venida Brodnax Browder, Akeem Browder, Kamal Browder, Zohran Mamdani. Co-presenters for the season include: Center for Asian American Media. ITVS.
