Two documentaries about California receive their broadcast premiere in June: California State of Mind: The Legacy of Pat Brown (a KQED national presentation) and Independent Lens: We Were Here. Also launching this month are the PBS Arts Summer Festival and POV’s silver anniversary season. KQED rounds the month out with incredible fiction works: a Downton Abbey marathon and brand new episodes of Masterpiece Mystery! favorite Midsomer Murders.
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Monday, June 25, at 9pm on KQED 9 CALIFORNIA STATE OF MIND: THE LEGACY OF PAT BROWN This unique portrait of Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown, known as “the Godfather of Modern California” receives its broadcast premiere on KQED 9. Award–winning filmmaker and Brown’s granddaughter Sascha Rice creates an intimate look at a California icon, the father of Governor Jerry Brown—and the making of a political dynasty. A KQED national presentation. |
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Thursday, June 14, at 10pm on KQED 9 INDEPENDENT LENS: WE WERE HERE When AIDS arrived in San Francisco in 1981, it decimated a community. But the disease also brought people together in inspiring and moving ways to support and care for one another and to fight for dignity and a cure. This poignant documentary takes a personal look at how our city responded to the onslaught of the disease. |
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Sundays, June 3 and 10, at 4pm on KQED 9 DOWNTON ABBEY MARATHON Can’t get enough Downton? This is your chance to catch up with your favorite Masterpiece Classic before the new season premieres January 2013! The marathon features all seven episodes of last season over two Sundays. |
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Season premiere: Friday June 1, at 8pm on KQED Plus MIDSOMER MURDERS John Nettles returns as the veteran DCI who investigates murders around the idyllic pastures and villages of Midsomer in this Masterpiece Mystery! favorite. |
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Festival launch: Friday, June 29, at 9pm on KQED 9 THE PBS ARTS SUMMER FESTIVAL The PBS Arts Summer Festival brings to you six brilliant programs, expanding the scope and diversity of the arts on television. Award-winning television, film and stage star Anna Deavere Smith (Nurse Jackie, The West Wing) serves as host.This year’s diverse offerings include a behind-the-scenes look at the solo show by award–winning actor John Leguizamo, celebrated mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato’s return to her hometown to perform with the Kansas City Symphony, a music documentary about expat Cuban musicians returning to Havana for a concert, a unique look at Islamic art and architecture around the world, and a documentary about Dr. Albert Barnes, a working class man who made it to the top of the modern art world.The festival launches on June 29 with Mariachi High, an inspiring film that documents a year in the life of the champion mariachi ensemble at Zapata High School in South Texas. |
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Season premiere: Thursday, June 21, at 10pm on KQED 9 POV 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON PREMIERE: MY REINCARNATION The award–winning documentary series POV, American television’s longest-running series dedicated to contemporary nonfiction programming, turns 25 this year. The new season launches with acclaimed director Jennifer Fox’s My Reincarnation, a brilliant film 20 years in the making. In this poignant documentary, witness the epic story of a father’s spiritual persistence and a son’s spiritual awakening. Yeshi, the Western-born son of exiled Tibetan Buddhist master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, was recognized from birth as the reincarnation of a famed Buddhist master. As he reaches adulthood, he must choose between his family’s legacy and his own wish to embrace the modern world. |
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“Monet”: Monday, June 11, at 9pm on KQED 9 “Winslow Homer”: Monday, June 18, at 9pm on KQED 9 FAKE OR FORTUNE? This new series from the BBC follows journalist Fiona Bruce and art expert Philip Mould as they investigate mysteries behind paintings. They enter a world of intrigue as they grapple with complex battles often hidden beneath the genteel veneer of the art establishment. Their sleuthing takes them all over the world as they search for clues behind stolen and contested works of art, and unmask the work of a master forger along the way. |
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June 12, 19, and 26, at 8pm on KQED Plus ORANGUTAN DIARIES Michaela Strachan and Steve Leonard follow the lives of orphaned and rescued orangutans at a refuge center in Borneo. Come on board for an emotional rollercoaster ride as the staff at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation tries to save these magnificent mammals — some of our closest animal relatives. |
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Wednesday, June 6, at 7:30pm on KQED 9 CHRIS ISAAK LIVE! BEYOND THE SUN This new special showcases Chris Isaak’s most beloved hits and his personal tribute to his musical heroes from the glory days of the legendary Memphis Sun Studio. Isaak recaptures the spirit of the original songs, while revealing the heart and soul of his iconic musical identity. |
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Thursdays, June 14, 21 and 28, at 8pm on KQED 9 TONY ROBINSON DOWN UNDER In this new series from History Channel UK, British comedic actor Tony Robinson delves into the colorful history of Australia. From the search to identify the Great Southern Land, through the Colonial trials and tribulations, right up to the establishment of a dynamic modern Australia, he uncovers the key events and major influences that define Australia and Australians today. |