Stan has announced it will exclusively premiere two brand new STARZ Original docuseries later this month.
AMERICA TO ME is a 10-part series created by Emmy Award-winning and Oscar nominated filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters, Life Itself, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail), and produced by Participant Media and Kartemquin Films. The docuseries takes a look at one of the Chicago area’s most progressive and diverse public schools, located in suburban Oak Park and an exploration of America’s charged state of race, culture and education today.
AMERICA TO ME follows students, teachers and administrators in suburban Chicago area’s Oak Park and River Forest High School, one of the America’s highest performing and diverse public schools, over the course of a year as they grapple with decades-long racial and educational inequities — in addition to the challenges that today’s teenagers face. Digging deep into the experiences of a racially diverse student population, AMERICA TO ME sparks candid conversations about what has succeeded and what has failed in the quest to achieve racial equity and overcome obstacles in America’s education system. In this part observational character story and part high-school confessional, James captures critical moments within this vibrant high-school ecosystem.
James directed and executive produced the 10-part documentary series via his long-time production home, Kartemquin Films. The series is executive produced by Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll (Lincoln) and Diane Weyermann (An Inconvenient Truth), and by Gordon Quinn (The Trials of Muhammad Ali), Betsy Steinberg (Edith+Eddie) and Justine Nagan (Minding the Gap) for Kartemquin Films.
Bing Liu (Minding the Gap), Rebecca Parrish (Radical Grace) and Kevin Shaw (The Street Stops Here) served as segment directors. John Condne (Love. Blood. Kryptonite.) served as the series producer, along with Risé Sanders-Weir (Chicago Stories). Film editors were Leslie Simmer (Raising Bertie) and David E. Simpson (Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise).
America to Me made its world premiere with the first five episodes at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in the new “Indie Episodic” category. Episodes were also previewed at Full Frame and AFI DOCS.
Monday August 27 with new episodes weekly on Stan.
Also joining Stan’s impressive slate is Warriors of Liberty City
WARRIORS OF LIBERTY CITY is directed and produced by PGA Award®-winning director and producer Evan Rosenfeld (ESPN’s “30 for 30” series The U, Broke) and co–directed by Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and screenwriter Andrew Cohn (Night School, Independent Lens).
The captivating series follows a season with the Liberty City Warriors, a youth football program founded by an unlikely mentor: hip hop pioneer Luther Campbell, better known as “Uncle Luke.” Before Liberty City native Barry Jenkins won his historic Oscar® for Moonlight, the city was best known for producing some of the biggest names in football, including Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Devonta Freeman, Antonio Brown, Duke Johnson, and Teddy Bridgewater. It’s a place synonymous with poverty and gun violence, but in the face of incredible challenges and personal tragedy, the Liberty City Warriors learn to triumph both on and off the football field. Beyond football, Liberty City Warriors Optimist Club is a youth organisation that sponsors sports teams, dance, cheerleading, tutoring and academic support. Life, like football, is a contact sport, and for the kids and families of Liberty City, being a Warrior holds the key to both.
This will premiere September 17, same day as the US, with new episodes weekly.
