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

Frankie Visits the Texas Capitol

2m 56s

Trans Lobby Day is here for the state of Texas and Frankie Gonzalez-Wolfe, a trans woman running for San Antonio city council, shares what she as a trans woman took from her experience there as a politician.

A Run for More | Official Trailer

30s

Growing up, Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe learned to be a fighter but never imagined having a chance to make history as the first openly elected transgender official in Texas. Unfolding amidst an onslaught of legal attacks against the trans community, ‘A Run for More’ immerses viewers in Frankie’s journey as she finds her voice, questions her relationship with the community, and tries to win an election.

The Space Between You & Me | Official Trailer

1m 5s

A Korean-American filmmaker from Alabama explores the complexities of international adoption through the stories of her birth mother and another adoptee in New York. ‘The Space Between You and Me’ is an effort to reclaim a stolen identity while searching for belonging between the worlds of the Jewish South, the Korean-American diaspora, and a fraught legacy of Korean adoption programs.

Ten by Ten | Official Trailer

1m 5s

After living in Asia for over a decade and longing for a taste of home, Jessica opens a Tennessee-style diner out of her home in Jeju, South Korea. But after appearing on one of the country’s most popular television programs, she and her husband Dongseop must adjust to the shock of newfound TV fame, the crowds of curious new customers it brings, and the growing uncertainty of a global pandemic.

Former Ware detention facility employee speaks out

2m 41s

Former Ware supervisor Eleanor Morgan and former detainee Gabryell Hardy speak out about the conditions other juvenile detainees were put under during their respective times at Ware Youth Center.

8 Days at Ware | Official Trailer

45s

Suicides at a juvenile detention center in Louisiana raise troubling questions about the facility and the agencies tasked with overseeing it. Thirteen-year-old Solan Peterson had only been at Ware Youth Center for eight days when he took his life while in isolation. ‘8 Days at Ware’ examines Solan’s last days – exposing the system that failed him and a legacy of abuse going back decades.

Love Without Parole | Official Trailer

45s

In a notorious Alabama prison, Michael falls deeply in love and matrimony follows. But when serving a life sentence, without parole, keeping his relationship alive proves too difficult. When Michael is miraculously released after 36 years, can he find a way to rehabilitate his marriage, too?

Tenneessee folklorist produces the sounds of the South

2m 43s

Sounds of the south can be heard when this Tennessee folklorist plays the banjo and discusses what he calls the “simplistic joy” that the instrument is capable of producing.

Writer Latria Graham Reads an Emotional Farewell

2m 38s

“A Dream Uprooted” is an article written by Latria Graham about the struggle of losing her family farm. Here, she tells the story and reflects on this loss and her connection to the land she will no longer call hers.

Stay Here Awhile | Official Preview

30s

A Tennessee folklorist, a fifth-generation Carolina farmer, a Mississippi river guide, and a former professional football player journey through loss and healing in this poetic ode to the power of landscape. A film shot during the COVID-19 Pandemic, ‘Stay Here Awhile’ invites us to linger in the space we find at the end of things.

Stay Prayed Up | Official Trailer

30s

The only thing mightier than Lena Mae Perry’s electrifying voice is her faith. She’s spent the last 50 years sharing and honing both as the steadfast frontwoman of The Branchettes, a legendary North Carolina gospel group that has packed churches and lifted weary hearts throughout the South.

MISS CHELOVE: From Java to the Streets of D.C.

48s

Indonesian-American artist Cita Sadeli, a.k.a. MISS CHELOVE, begins work on a mural in a soon-to-open Indonesian coffeehouse in Washington, D.C. As she paints, Cita talks about her life in the DMV area, her cultural heritage, the influence of punk and hip-hop on her life, and how she came to fall in love with graffiti in the 1980’s when there were few women drawn to the art at the time.

Madame Pipi | Preview

50s

Madame Pipi follows the lives of Haitian bathroom attendants working in Miami’s hottest nightclubs. Often invisible, underpaid, and underappreciated, their stories showcase a custodial world built on the backs of women of color, in a city known for debauchery, diversity, and exceptionalism.

Florida Woman | Preview

52s

When the media gets wind of Mary Thorn’s alligator story, she’s characterized as just another crazy “Florida Man.” Florida Woman peels back the curtain on the media’s portrayal of a nurturing woman –– an ex-pro wrestler turned animal lover, who challenges the state in order to save her pet alligator. Mary and her gator Rambo reveal the humanity and complexity behind the viral headlines.

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