The Altria Theater was filled with history buffs on the evening of Sunday, Mar. 23 as VPM became the first station to host a public screening for renowned documentarian Ken Burns’ new documentary The American Revolution.
Check out a slide show of photos (above) for a special look inside the event!
Over 3,400 people attended the preview screening of The American Revolution hosted by VPM at the Altria Theater, where attendees were treated to a 40-minute special program with clips of the six-part, 12-hour series, which will air on VPM PBS in November.
VPM President & CEO Jayme Swain offered remarks at the beginning and end of the program, and Ken himself introduced the film to the audience. Victor Branch from Bank of America shared special comments and Jonathan Barzilay, Chief Operating Officer at PBS, introduced the panelists.
The panel discussion after the screening featured Ken, his co-director Sarah Botstein and three historians featured in the film, including Rick Atkinson, Christopher Brown (moderator) and Jane Kamensky. The panelists discussed the work that went into filming The American Revolution and the significance of that time period in our country's history.
The day began with a reenactment of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech at historic St. John’s Church, timed to the 250th anniversary of the speech.
Learn more about The American Revolution and when you can watch it
The American Revolution, a new six-part, 12-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt explores the country’s founding and its eight-year War for Independence. Thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose in rebellion, won their independence and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent and inspired centuries of independence movements and democratic reforms around the globe.
The film will premiere on Sunday, November 16 and air for six consecutive nights through Friday, Nov. 21 at 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. The full series will be available to stream beginning Sunday, Nov. 16 at PBS.org and on the PBS App.
An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, The American Revolution follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Viewers will experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French allies and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
