This October, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, amplify Latinx stories and Native voices, and recognize environmental action and American democracy.
Taking over America ReFramed’s Thursday nights this month is Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES, which premieres on WORLD at 8/7c all through October. In stories by renowned Latinx filmmakers, watch documentaries that chronicle the change leaders and everyday people are making for their communities.
New this month, Inundation District (Oct. 7; Local, USA) examines what happens to a Boston neighborhood built on landfill and billions of dollars at the edge of imminent rising sea levels; and The History of White People returns to YouTube with three new short films. Stories from the Stage discovers new stories in its eighth season starting with two new episodes: What Matters Most on Oct. 21 and On a Mission on Oct. 28 feature storytellers sharing profound moments that shaped their lives and those around them.
Plus, watch films from FRONTLINE, Independent Lens and American Experience that put a spotlight on voting in America ahead of the presidential election in November.
WATCH LIVE
The Good Road | Season 5
Tuesdays in October on TV | More episodes available on PBS Passport
An innovative, inspiring documentary series about two best friends who travel the world meeting philanthropists and change-makers, who have dedicated their lives to addressing global humanitarian issues.
One Person, One Vote? | Independent Lens
October 2 on TV, online & on the PBS app
At a time when many Americans question democratic institutions, One Person, One Vote? unveils the complexities of the Electoral College, the uniquely American and often misunderstood mechanism for electing a president. The documentary follows four presidential electors representing different parties in Colorado during the intense 2020 election.
The American Vice President | American Experience
October 4 on TV, online & on the PBS app
The American Vice President tells the little-known story of the second-highest office in the land, tracing its evolution from a constitutional afterthought to a position of political consequence. Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh perspective on succession in the executive branch.
NEW Inundation District | Local, USA
October 7 on TV, online, YouTube & on the PBS app
In a time of rising seas, one city spent billions of dollars erecting a new waterfront district - on landfill, at sea level. Unlike other places imperiled by climate change, this community with some of the world’s largest companies was built well after scientists began warning of the threats. The city called its new neighborhood the Innovation District. Others are calling it INUNDATION DISTRICT.
In the Rearview | POV
October 9 on TV, online & on the PBS app
In a volunteer aid van occupied by multiple generations of civilians, an authentic, intimate observation of the war in Ukraine unfolds. Each passenger is unique in age, origin and circumstance, but alike in where they find themselves – fleeing their homes while huddled together in a cramped back seat. Bound for Poland, the vehicle operates as their shelter, waiting room, hospital and confessional.
The VP Choice: Vance vs. Walz | FRONTLINE
October 9 on TV, online & on the PBS app
FRONTLINE investigates the lives and views of Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz as they run for vice president. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal the influences and ideas they would bring to the White House.
Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends | VOCES
October 10 on TV | Available now online & on the PBS app
Meet the Mambo Legends Orchestra, committed to keeping the sounds of the great Afro-Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez alive for future generations.
NEW Run, Hide, Fight: Growing Up Under the Gun | PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs
October 14 on TV | Available now online
Since 2020, gun violence has been the leading cause of death for American children and teens according to the CDC, but coverage of gun violence’s impact on youth is often reported by adults. Fourteen student journalists from five U.S. cities explore how gun violence affects young Americans.
Against the Current: Life on the Eastern Shore | Local, USA
October 14 on TV, online, on YouTube & the PBS app
AGAINST THE CURRENT provides a powerful look at how residents of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, like many coastal towns, are subject to rising sea waters and the challenges it has on their lives and livelihood. Through resilience and perseverance, they learn to co-exist and celebrate their rural home. How can this community shed light on conversations happening around these issues of climate change?
Twice Colonized | POV
October 16 on TV, online & on the PBS app
Aaju Peter is a renowned Inuit lawyer and activist who defends the human rights of Indigenous peoples. She's a fierce protector of her ancestral lands in the Arctic and works to bring her colonizers to justice. As Aaju launches an inspiring effort to establish an Indigenous forum, she also embarks upon a deeply personal journey to mend her own wounds, including the unexpected passing of her son.
A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians | FRONTLINE
October 16 on TV, online & on the PBS app
FRONTLINE documents harrowing accounts from those who experienced the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the ongoing war in Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians directly impacted by the conflict talk about death, despair and the continuing trauma.
Almost American | VOCES
October 17 on TV | Available now on PBS Passport
Meet a Salvadoran-American family who have legally lived and worked in the nation’s capital for 20 years. Their lives are upended when Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for those from El Salvador and five other countries is revoked.
Public Enemies, Private Friends | Local, USA
October 21 on TV, YouTube and the PBS app
Lawand, deaf from birth, seeks a fresh start with his family in the UK after a traumatic year in a refugee camp. At Derby's Royal School for the Deaf, he learns sign language and discovers a way to communicate with the world. As he thrives, his family faces deportation, challenging their stability. NAME ME LAWAND is a love letter to the power of friendship and community.
NEW What Matters Most | Stories from the Stage
October 21 on TV, online & on the PBS app
Some moments prompt us to pause and reflect, serving as reminders of what matters most. A chaotic boat ride leads Amy to a new chapter; despite past trauma and fear of public speaking, Vanna takes a chance to advocate for change; and an encounter with a boy shapes Jacqueline's commitment to helping children.
Tokyo Uber Blues | POV
October 23 on TV, online & on the PBS app
Shot with a mix of smartphones and GoPros, filmmaker Taku Aoyagi takes us on his daily bike rides as an Uber Eats worker. But pedaling on Tokyo’s deserted streets, delivering boba tea to cloistered condos, he starts to wonder…what was it that Ken Loach said about the Uberization of society? And what does gig-work offer an unemployed young person with student debt?
Latino Vote 2024 | VOCES
October 24 on TV & on the PBS app
Examine the priorities of a politically diverse Latino electorate in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election in some of the most hotly contested battleground states, including Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania as well as California and Florida.
NEW On a Mission | Stories from the Stage
October 28 on TV, online & on the PBS app
Every challenge we embrace holds the power to transform our lives. Sophia carves out a path of discovery, redefining what learning means to her; during an attempt to climb Mt. Washington, Ella learns to find strength; and Amith’s response to the lack of public restrooms leads to the creation of a vital resource.
American Voices 2024 | FRONTLINE
October 30 on TV, online & on the PBS app
FRONTLINE follows the changing views and experiences of Americans from the 2020 election season to today. Returning to voters filmed four years ago, the documentary provides a look at how their hopes and fears have changed amid another polarizing election season.
Our Texas, Our Vote | VOCES
October 31 on TV | Available now online & on the PBS app
On the eve of the upcoming presidential election, go inside the largest Latino voter registration mobilization in Texas history, led by a new generation on the frontlines of a growing swing state that neither political party can ignore.
WATCH ONLINE
NEW | The History of White People in America:
Part 2
Starting October 7 on YouTube
Oct. 7 | The Diary of Afong Moy: The first Chinese woman in the United States was Afong Moy in 1834, a decade before the Gold Rush wave of Chinese immigrants. Moy was exhibited as a human oddity, a circus exhibit, a creature to gawk at. No other history so blatantly reveals how the powerful gaze upon the powerless, the other. That gaze is not a historic artifact but part of the systemic racism and power structure of present-day America.
Oct. 14 | All God’s Children: In this moving, animated short, poet Ashley M. Jones offers a lyrical historical account of Ann Williams, an enslaved Black woman who won her freedom in the 1830s. When faced with the torturous fate of being separated from her family and sold into Southern slavery, Williams took a literal leap of faith to avoid the dreadful mandate.
Episode 6 Coming Soon
South Korea's Adoption Reckoning | FRONTLINE
October 2 on TV | Available now online & on the PBS app
FRONTLINE and The Associated Press examine allegations of fraud and abuse in South Korea’s historic foreign adoption boom. The documentary investigates cases of falsified records and identities among the adoptions of 200,000 children to the U.S. and other countries over decades.
From Here/From There (De Aquí/De Allá) | VOCES
October 3 on TV | Available now on PBS Passport
Luis Cortes Romero, the first undocumented attorney to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, journeyed from a difficult youth to the highest court in the land as part of a powerful legal team fighting the Administration’s attempt to rescind DACA.
Entangled | Local, USA
October 7 on TV, online & on the PBS app
There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales in the world, making them among the most endangered species. Threatening their survival are vessel strikes and millions of lobster lines. ENTANGLED chronicles the efforts to protect the whales, the impacts of those efforts on the lobster industry, and how the National Marine Fisheries Service has struggled to balance the vying interests.
Be the Change | Stories from the Stage
October 7 on TV | Available now online & on the PBS app
Change isn't only forged by the mighty; the actions of everyday individuals often spark it. Negin champions the cause of women's rights in Iran; Lisa and heroic health aides share the life of a COVID-19 patient; and Mikhala channels the legacy of jazz and Creole into a vibrant retelling of New Orleans' history.
On Sacred Ground | Stories from the Stage
October 14 on TV | Available now online & on the PBS app
For Indigenous Americans, the sacred is connected to the land and traditional ways of seeing. Kevin rallies to oppose housing development on tribal land; Colleen's relationship with her mother provides a view of the judgement heaped on traditional healing; and Valery takes us on a hike...interrupted by Bigfoot!
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