New Season Will Premiere New Films
on Global Democracy Beginning April 2023
WORLD Channel, public media’s platform for diverse independent film, has announced three documentaries to premiere as part of Season 6 of its Doc World series.
Keep It a Secret, the unsung history of Ireland’s surfing pioneers who transcended political conflict; Ganden: A Joyful Land, an intimate look at the lives of the last remaining generation of Tibetan Buddhist monks who studied at Ganden Monastery in Tibet; The Accused, a profile of the powerful cleric Khadim Rizvi, whose one mission is to preserve Pakistan’s blasphemy laws; and Crossings, following peacemakers who set out across the Korean DMZ, calling for an end to a war that has divided its people. Doc World airs weekly, Sundays at 10pm ET on WORLD Channel.
Hosted by award-winning voice actor Andia Winslow, Doc World showcases the best international documentaries that dive deep into the heart of an issue, giving American viewers a chance to understand the lives and concerns of people from around the world.
“Struggles for democracy, unity and freedom of speech have played out in so many ways around the world. While Americans may have heard of these conflicts in passing or on the news, a deeper understanding of these histories can be achieved by listening to the people that lived through them,” said Chris Hastings, executive producer for WORLD Channel at GBH in Boston. “This season of Doc World is curated to bring more intimate portraits of global efforts for peace and representation to our viewers, who I hope will be as inspired as I am by the stories and the filmmakers untangling complex issues for the screen.”
Keep It A Secret
By Sean Duggan
In 1972, every international sporting event in Ireland was cancelled...except for one. Teams from around the world refused to travel to Ireland during the height of The Troubles. Amidst the conflict, surf pioneers in both Dublin and Belfast transcended political hostilities to host the 1972 Eurosurf Championship.
Keep It A Secret recounts the inspiring true story of the dawn of Irish surfing, chronicling boundless idealism at a time of violence. The film will take you on a stunningly beautiful ride to reveal how surfing gave an exceptional collection of young people hope at a time of despair, how the sport would forever change their lives, and how the tight-knit, rebellious community they formed would leave a lasting impression upon Ireland.
Ganden: A Joyful Land
By Ngawang Choephel
Likened by Buddhists to the Vatican City, Ganden is considered the most influential monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. Ganden: A Joyful Land is a revealing, intimate look at the lives and remembrances of the last remaining generation of monks to have studied at the renowned monastery in Tibet where the Dalai Lama’s lineage began.
For more than 500 years, monks lived in Ganden in simplicity and contentment before a brutal invasion drove them to start anew in India. Embodying the strength and joy the faith teaches, survivors of the forced exodus tell of their lives in Ganden, old and new, in this moving film.
The Accused: Damned or Devoted?
By Mohammed Ali Naqvi
Cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, has one mission: to preserve Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. These laws prescribe a mandatory death sentence for disrespecting The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and life imprisonment for desecrating the Holy Quran. With millions sympathetic to his goal, Rizvi holds the state under his spell and silences anyone attempting to change the law by condemning them to death.
But there’s more to this mission than just maintaining the sanctity of his faith: Rizvi is running for the highest office in the country in the upcoming elections where everyone - those that oppose him, the country’s minorities and even his followers are just pawns in his quest for absolute power.
Crossings | July 23
By Deann Borshay Liem
Although the Korean War was halted by an armistice in 1953, the warring parties never signed a peace treaty. Seventy years later, North Korea and the United States remain adversaries, millions remain tragically separated from their family members on opposite sides of a closed and heavily militarized border, and the threat of renewed fighting and even nuclear conflict looms.
In CROSSINGS, international women peacemakers set out on a risky journey across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), calling for an end to a war that has divided the Korean peninsula. The groundbreaking mission of Women Cross DMZ is framed with historic newsreels and punctuated with contemporary news coverage.
DOC WORLD is a weekly showcase bringing the best international documentaries from around the globe to an American audience and airs every Sunday at 10/9c on WORLD Channel. DOC WORLD is available on worldchannel.org, WORLD Channel’s YouTube Channel and on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
