A couple of pointed questions underpin filmmaker Grace Lee’s new podcast, Viewers Like Us: as she frames it in episode 1, “Why is PBS so white and how exactly did it designate Ken Burns as America’s Storyteller?”
The questions are linked, asserts Lee, whose directing and producing credits number a dozen documentaries, some of which have aired on PBS, including the 2020 docuseries Asian Americans. While she acknowledges the public broadcaster has afforded some opportunities to filmmakers of color, she says it’s nothing on the order of the resources lavished on Burns, director of The Civil War (1990), Jazz (2001) and many other PBS documentary series, including two this year alone: the six-hour long Hemingway and the eight-hour Muhammad Ali.
“His hundreds of hours of primetime programming are products of a system,” Lee charges in the podcast, “that for decades has prioritized his worldview at the expense of storytellers of color.
The questions are linked, asserts Lee, whose directing and producing credits number a dozen documentaries, some of which have aired on PBS, including the 2020 docuseries Asian Americans. While she acknowledges the public broadcaster has afforded some opportunities to filmmakers of color, she says it’s nothing on the order of the resources lavished on Burns, director of The Civil War (1990), Jazz (2001) and many other PBS documentary series, including two this year alone: the six-hour long Hemingway and the eight-hour Muhammad Ali.
“His hundreds of hours of primetime programming are products of a system,” Lee charges in the podcast, “that for decades has prioritized his worldview at the expense of storytellers of color.
- 10/14/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Similar News
Peabody Awards: ‘Bluey,’ ‘The Bear,’ ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Fellow Travelers’ Among Winners
- 5/9/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Peabody Award Winners Include ‘The Bear’, ‘Last Of Us’, ‘Reservation Dogs’ & ‘Bluey’; Special Honor For ‘Star Trek’ Franchise
- 5/9/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
As Participant Closes, 60 Stars and Directors Sign Open Letter for Hollywood to Keep ‘Harnessing the Power of Art to Change the World’
- 5/7/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Doc Talk Podcast Digs Deep Into Archive With Filmmaker Debra McClutchy, Delves Into Incarceration And Redemption Story ‘Songs From The Hole’
- 5/7/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Unfrosted’s Jerry Seinfeld Takes Shot At ‘Friends’ In Pop-Tarts Digital Short Featuring Schmoopie, Jackie Chiles & The Soup Nazi
- 4/29/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Every Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Score, Ranked
- 4/27/2024
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.