Bluegrass 45, one of Japan’s first bluegrass bands, brings its unique sound to the American South. Through intimate cinematography and interviews, this film explores the band’s journey—from daily life in Japan to performances in the U.S.—showcasing the powerful cultural connections forged through music and shared experiences.

Green Bank, West Virginia, is home to the world’s most sensitive radio telescope—and the only U.S. town where Wi-Fi and cell phones are banned. Here, scientists search for signs of extraterrestrial life while residents navigate pivotal moments in their own lives. This film explores the community’s deep connection to the universe and each other.

Filmmaker Maaliyah Papillion is tapped to learn the ways of her elders and carry on their sacred traditions as the next chief of the Atakapa-Išhak Nation, making her the second woman to lead the tribe since 1771.

A Japanese elder shares his journey from a life of crime to finding peace as a bamboo farmer in the mountains of North Carolina, where growing bamboo helped him discover a more spiritual way of living.

After encountering discrimination in the Scuba diving world at a trade show, Dr. Albert “Doc” Jones decides to form his own club called “Underwater Adventure Seekers”.

Dr. Albert “Doc” Jones, founder of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, reflects on a resonant event from his childhood where he witnessed a child drowning in a local river.

Dr. Albert “Doc” Jones, founder of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, dedicated his life to uncovering lost histories beneath the ocean. When his team found the Henrietta Marie, the first recovered slave ship, he set out to honor those lost at sea. This film celebrates his mission to recover forgotten stories and preserve them for future generations.

In 1982, five Black women from Chattanooga sued the Ku Klux Klan in a groundbreaking civil case. Their victory set a legal precedent that held the Klan accountable and inspired future battles against organized hate. This film chronicles their bravery and the lasting impact of their fight for justice and community healing.

In 2015, three Muslim-American students were shot and killed in Chapel Hill, NC. As their families confront the grief of the loss, they push back against the claim that their deaths were part of a random dispute. This film follows their courageous advocacy to expose the truth and fight for justice in the face of systemic racism.

A filmmaker uncovers footage from a family trip a year before her mother's death.

A filmmaker finds footage of her parents showing off their family car and gains insight into how her father viewed her mother.

Season 10 showcases inspiring stories of resilience, cultural richness, and innovation across the South, from groundbreaking science to powerful acts of justice.

Center Street in Birmingham, Alabama was nicknamed Dynamite Hill because it was bombed more than 50 times between 1947 and 1957. The street’s homes were targeted by white supremacists because of the rise of Black homeownership. Birmingham natives recall the wave of terror.

A resident of Birmingham’s Center Street (aka Dynamite Hill) recalls family friend Martin Luther King, Jr. and how conversations in his backyard sparked nationwide activism.

Between 1947 and 1967, Birmingham, Alabama, witnessed over 50 bombings targeting Black-owned homes. This film follows three individuals who, as children, lived through the terror and stayed in the city. Together, they seek to turn Birmingham’s painful history into a symbol of hope, resilience, and civil rights progress.

For all the wonders of the South — the food, the music, the people, the land — the collective heritage of the region is complicated, to say the least. But the ability to witness and understand that complexity and foster empathy is more important than ever. Which is why REEL SOUTH exists.

For the Whites, supporting Black farmers isn’t just a scientific effort– it’s a family tradition.

Cecil Shell, a Black farmer in Southern Virginia, shares his family history of tobacco farming and remembers traditional techniques from his childhood.

In Southern Virginia, Black farmers like Cecil Shell balance their interests in honoring their tradition of tobacco farming against the onset of solar energy farms exploding across the region. Through Cecil, the film explores one rural county’s shifting economic interests and his own efforts to steward the community, including Black landowners, through changing times.

Unrestricted access to beaches is a public right in Texas. But for the little known, magical, and untamed stretch of beach called Boca Chica, that right is curtailed when SpaceX takes flight. Boca Chica uncovers the mesmerizing beauty of this fragile coastline and the fight for free access for its longtime visitors whose memories and spirituality are rooted deep among the sandy shorelines.