REEL SOUTH

Series / 8 Seasons

REEL SOUTH is a PBS documentary series that showcases authentic stories which unearth the spirit of the South today. The series explores layers of Southern life across themes of social justice, cultural experience, environmental challenges, and more. REEL SOUTH aims to leverage our region’s rich storytelling tradition as a catalyst for positive change — in the American South and beyond.

Watch: S10 E1002

26m 18s

LAST BARN DANCE: Promo

32s

THE LAST BARN DANCE is a story about farming, fragility, & a fight to save the family business. Randy Lewis struggles to save his dairy farm in the Piedmont Region of NC, where dozens of family-owned dairies have disappeared. While keeping the business afloat Randy also hosts one of the only true old-time barn dances left in the region, keeping the tradition alive for the community that loves it.

THE EXCEPTIONALLY EXTRAORDINARY EMPORIUM: Promo

32s

The Exceptionally Extraordinary Emporium is a documentary film about the cherished tradition of costuming during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Members of the city’s colorful costuming community share their unique traditions while gathering at the epicenter of all things costuming - the family-owned fabric store, Jefferson Variety.

STATE OF EUGENICS: Promo

34s

Between 1933 and 1974, the state of North Carolina ran one of the most aggressive eugenics programs, sterilizing more than 7,600 men, women and children. This film follows the journey of survivors, legislators and journalists who insist the state confront its role in the tragic, forced sterilization of thousands of Americans thought to have “undesirable” genetics

ENDURING LEGACY: Promo

43s

The Croatians of Lower Plaquemines parish have used grit and determination to build an oystering industry that has made Louisiana famous. Little-known even in their home state, the history of the tight-knit Croatian-American community is portrayed in this documentary through the lives of four figures who embody the 150-year Croatian experience in Louisiana.

SHAKE EM ON DOWN: Promo

35s

Shake 'em On Down' is the story of Fred McDowell, the godfather of the North Mississippi style of blues. Through interviews and never-before-seen footage of Fred McDowell and other blues legends, the film tells the story of a Mississippi sharecropper who went on to influence the music of the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, RL Burnside, Taj Mahal and the North Mississipp All Stars.

RED WOLF REVIVAL: Promo

33s

Red Wolf Revival is a short film about the last remaining wild population of red wolves. Centered on the historic recovery effort in Eastern North Carolina, we document the multifaceted struggle to reintroduce one of the rarest animals on earth in the face of cultural, economic, and biological challenges in North Carolina.

PRIVATE VIOLENCE: Promo

1m 7s

Private Violence is a feature-length documentary film that explores a simple, but deeply disturbing fact of American life: the most dangerous place for a woman in America is her own home. Every day in the US, at least four women are murdered by abusive (and often, ex) partners.

OVERBURDEN: Promo

33s

"Overburden" is the story of a fiery, pro-coal right-winger and a tenacious, environmentalist grandmother whose lives are thrust together when a mine disaster shatters their community. Through an intimate story unfolding over seven years, Overburden underscores the need for reconciliation as a these two women join forces to take on a rogue industry and heal their wounded community.

DEEP RUN: Promotions

34s

Susan Sarandon and shot by first-time filmmaker Hillevi Loven, DEEP RUN is a powerful verité portrait of trans life in rural North Carolina. Exiled by her family and rejected by an ex, 17-year-old Spazz has no one to lean on for support.

EAT WHITE DIRT: Promo

33s

An oddly spellbinding personal, cultural, and scientific history of the deeply transgressive and often misunderstood practice of consuming earth, this film collects and combines the experiences, processes, and explanations of people who eat white dirt with the scientists who study the phenomenon.

SOUL CITY: Promo

1m 34s

Soul City explores the rise, fall, and legacy of Soul City, North Carolina. Rich archival material, interviews with former and current Soul City residents, animations, and the soulful rhythms of the era bring alive the vision of its founder, Floyd B. McKissick, and his band of idealists who risked it all to build the city of their dreams with all the odds stacked against them.

REEL SOUTH 2nd Season: Promo

2m 3s

REEL SOUTH, the public television series spotlighting documentary films steeped in Southern flavor, will return with an expanded season and a new host platinum-selling, Grammy-winning recording artist Darius Rucker.

REEL SOUTH Season 1 Promo

1m 2s

The American South – its history, people, culture and landscape are infused with a sense of heritage like no place else in the country – or the world. Introducing REEL SOUTH, a new anthology series that highlights the masterful, provocative Southern tradition of storytelling, exploring the alluring and complicated region and its diverse voices and points of view.

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