SAN FRANCISCO, CA —KQED’s documentary series Truly CA: Our State, Our Stories returns for its 12th season with a dozen films covering topics from healing through dance to the San Francisco comedy scene of the 1980s. The new season begins Friday, June 16, 2017, at 8pm on KQED 9 with the award-winning short film Forever, Chinatown, co-presented with the World Channel’s Local, USA. Most films will also be available to watch on Truly CA’s YouTube channel one week after each television broadcast.
Forever, Chinatown tells the story of 81-year-old self-taught artist Frank Wong, who has spent the past four decades creating lifelike miniature models of the San Francisco Chinatown of his youth. His remarkable dioramas commemorate the past, documenting the transformation of a rapidly changing neighborhood from the 1940s to the present.
Other new films in this year’s season highlight stories of community, resilience and inspiration. Among the selections are FREE, an award-winning documentary that follows five Oakland teens for one year in a performance art program, and Desert Migration, a reflection on mortality and aging that focuses on a group of gay men living long-term with HIV in Palm Springs. The season also features original content from Los Angeles public media station KCET, including documentaries on migrant chefs and what it means to be an Afrofuturist.
“I have long been a fan of Truly CA as it celebrates two things I love — documentaries and California,” said KQED’s Senior Director of Television Programming, Susie Hernandez. “More than ever, audiences are hungry for content that reflects the diverse perspectives of our communities. KQED has the unique opportunity to support local and California filmmakers while delivering these stories. This new season will provide more exposure to great films, with a new timeslot; more episodes available online; a longer television season; and really thought-provoking topics. Fans love the quirky nature of Truly CA, but they also asked for documentaries that deal with weighty issues.”
Over the past 11 seasons, the Emmy Award–winning series has featured the work of many
award-winning filmmakers, including but not limited to, Victor Silverman and Susan Stryker (Screaming Queens, 2006); Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer (Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea, 2007); Nick Brandestini (Darwin, 2015); and Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman (Last Day of Freedom, 2015).