PBS Indies Showcase to Air DON'T STOP BELIEVEIN': EVERYMAN'S JOURNEY & More this Fall

The first-ever PBS INDIES SHOWCASE debuts this fall with four critically acclaimed documentaries from the award-winning series POV and INDEPENDENT LENS. Scheduled over four consecutive Monday nights from September 30 through October 21, the PBS INDIES SHOWCASEspotlights the work of independent filmmakers, offering viewers year-round access to the diversity of voices and unique perspectives these films provide.

"The films we have selected for this first PBS INDIES SHOWCASE are truly extraordinary," said Donald Thoms, Vice President of Programming, PBS. "From an inspirational music documentary to the heartbreaking challenges faced by an inner-city hospital, from the latest installment in Michael Apted's long-running 'Up' film series to a Brooklyn school where the game of chess is transforming the lives of students, these documentaries have enthralled audiences and critics at film festivals around the world. Now everyone will have the opportunity to experience these films on PBS."

The PBS INDIES SHOWCASE lineup is below (check local listings):

INDEPENDENT LENS "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" by Ramona Diaz
"Don't Stop Believin'" follows the real life rock and roll fairy tale of Filipino singer Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from Youtube to become the frontman for iconic American rock band Journey. In this Cinderella story for the ages, Arnel, having overcome a lifetime's worth of hardships, must now navigate the immense pressures of replacing a legendary singer and leading a world-renowned band on their most extensive world tour in years.
Monday, September 30, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET

POV "Brooklyn Castle" by Katie Dellamaggiore
Imagine a school where the cool kids are the chess team. Welcome to I.S. 318 in New York. "Brooklyn Castle" tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The late Albert Einstein, a dedicated chess maven, would only rank fourth if he were on the team. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives - and on the chessboard - and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about anticipation of their victories.
Monday, October 7, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET

POV "56 Up" by Michael Apted
"56 Up" is the eighth film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 49 years ago when UK-based Granada Television team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man," interviewed a diverse group of seven-year-old children from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Michael Apted, a researcher for the original film, has returned to interview the "children" every seven years since: at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and now at age 56. In this latest chapter, more life-changing decisions are revealed, more shocking announcements are made and more of the original group takes part than ever before, speaking out on a variety of subjects including love, marriage, career and class.
Monday, October 14, 10:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET

INDEPENDENT LENS "The Waiting Room"by Peter Nicks
"The Waiting Room" is an immersive documentary that interweaves several stories that unfold in surprising ways in the ER waiting room at Oakland, California's Highland Hospital- a facility stretched to the breaking point. Telling the story of our health care system at a moment of great change through the eyes of people stuck - sometimes for up to 14 hours - in the waiting room, the film reveals a remarkably diverse population battling their way through seismic shifts in the nation's health care system while weathering the storm of a national recession. It's a film about one hospital, its multifaceted community, and how our common vulnerability to illness binds us together.
Monday, October 21, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET

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