American Masters

History Series / 15 Seasons

American Masters, committed to producing comprehensive film biographies about the broad cast of characters who comprise our cultural history.

1h 42m / TV-14

Sarah Thankam Mathews: After All This [Extended Audio Description]

17m 58s

This version contains extended audio description. Follow author Sarah Thankam Mathews as pressure mounts to follow up her highly acclaimed debut novel, "All This Could Be Different." Mathews excavates her past in India and Oman, contends with her present as a rising literary star, and imagines new futures of immigration, justice, and community.

Sarah Thankam Mathews: After All This [ASL]

15m 37s

This version contains on-screen ASL interpretation. Follow author Sarah Thankam Mathews as pressure mounts to follow up her highly acclaimed debut novel, "All This Could Be Different." Mathews excavates her past in India and Oman, contends with her present as a rising literary star, and imagines new futures of immigration, justice, and community.

Sarah Thankam Mathews: After All This

15m 38s

Follow author Sarah Thankam Mathews as pressure mounts to follow up her highly acclaimed debut novel, "All This Could Be Different." Mathews excavates her past in India and Oman, contends with her present as a rising literary star, and imagines new futures of immigration, justice, and community.

Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps

15m 25s

Follow the 5-time Tony-nominated director and choreographer of Broadway’s Gypsy and Hell’s Kitchen as she elevates the possible with bold explorations of everyday movement, and African Diasporic dance. The film foregrounds Brown’s visionary talent from her Queens, New York neighborhood to the Broadway stage, television and movie screens, and schools around the world.

Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps [Extended Audio Description]

17m 14s

This version contains extended audio description. Follow the 5-time Tony-nominated director and choreographer as she elevates the possible with bold explorations of everyday movement, and African Diasporic dance. The film foregrounds Brown’s visionary talent from her Queens, New York neighborhood to the Broadway stage, television and movie screens, and schools around the world.

Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps [ASL]

15m 25s

This version contains on-screen ASL interpretation. Follow the 5-time Tony-nominated director and choreographer as she elevates the possible with bold explorations of everyday movement, and African Diasporic dance. The film foregrounds Brown’s visionary talent from her Queens, New York neighborhood to the Broadway stage, television and movie screens, and schools around the world.

Daveed Diggs Takes on Cyberpunk Rap

25m 28s

Rapper and actor Daveed Diggs on his creative process as a rapper and songwriter. The "Hamilton" actor discusses his hip-hop group, clipping., and their new cyberpunk album, "Dead Channel Sky."

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Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse [Extended Audio Description + OC]

1h 44m / TV-MA

Explore the work of cartoonist Art Spiegelman and the impact of his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. A defender of free speech, Spiegelman has spoken out as book bans spread across the country.

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Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse [ASL]

1h 36m / TV-MA

Explore the work of cartoonist Art Spiegelman and the impact of his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. A defender of free speech, Spiegelman has spoken out as book bans spread across the country.

LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story [Extended Audio Description + OC]

1h 46m

This version contains extended audio description and large open captions. Take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz.

LIZA: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story [ASL]

1h 42m

This version contains on-screen ASL interpretation. Take an intimate look into the life of Liza Minnelli, best known for her Oscar-winning role in Cabaret. Following in the footsteps of her mother Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to build her own legacy in showbiz.

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The Disappearance of Miss Scott [Extended Audio Description + OC]

1h 34m

This version contains extended audio description and large open captions. Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality.

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The Disappearance of Miss Scott [ASL]

1h 23m

This version contains on-screen ASL interpretation. Learn about jazz virtuoso and screen superstar Hazel Scott, the first Black American to have their own television show. An early civil rights pioneer, she faced down the Red Scare at the risk of losing her career and was a champion for equality.

Isabella Rossellini compares her acting and modeling

28m 24s

On October 25th, 1994, Isabella Rossellini sat down with director Helen Whitney for a discussion on how Richard Avedon helped her overcome her prejudice of becoming a model, her fruitful career in modeling and the beauty behind good photographs. Interview conducted for "Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light" (1996).

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Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around [Extended Audio Description + OC]

1h

This version contains extended audio description and large open captions. Discover the story behind singer Brenda Lee’s iconic songs and explore how her early fame and life of poverty shaped her artistry across pop, rock ‘n’ roll and country. Known for her Christmas classic and Billboard hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” she is still a force in music today.

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Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around [ASL]

52m 55s

This version contains on-screen ASL interpretation. Discover the story behind singer Brenda Lee’s iconic songs and explore how her early fame and life of poverty shaped her artistry across pop, rock ‘n’ roll and country. Known for her Christmas classic and Billboard hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” she is still a force in music today.

Quincy Jones explains how he got started in music

15m

On July 24th, 2001, Quincy Jones sat down with Michael Kantor, director of "American Masters — Quincy Jones: In The Pocket" (2001), to discuss Jones' early career, his friendships with Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra, and how he defines himself and a fulfilling life.

Brad Lomax: Creating Communities of Care [Extended Audio Description + OC]

13m 34s

This version contains extended audio description and large open captions. The story of a Black Panther Party member and founder of the East Oakland Center for Independent Living, who had multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair. Explore Brad Lomax’s under-reported contributions to the early disability justice movement, which laid the groundwork for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

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