Ken Burns Partnership

For more than 35 years, WETA has proudly partnered with Ken Burns to bring landmark documentaries to the nation via public television.

This collaboration has produced many films including The Civil War, Jazz, Baseball, THE WAR, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, The Dust Bowl, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, The Vietnam War and Country Music. WETA is delighted to play an important role in bringing these films to a viewing audience nationwide.

Ken Burns and his colleagues at Florentine Films are an astonishingly creative and successful team, and it is WETA's great pleasure to work with them.

Ken Burns on Why Working With WETA Fits His Films

30s

Each of Ken Burns's films attempts to answer questions about the American experience, so it is not a mistake that he found his production partner, WETA, in the nation's capital, where so much of our national history is stored in repositories like the Library of Congress and the National Archives.

Ken Burns and WETA

1m 30s

For 30 years, WETA has partnered with Ken Burns to co-produce and bring his remarkable documentaries to audiences nationwide.

Ken Burns Discusses His History Working with WETA

40s

Ken Burns recounts the origins of his working relationship with WETA, which began decades ago when he met former WETA CEO Ward Chamberlain.

Upcoming Productions

WETA collaborations with Ken Burns continue with the following films currently in production.

Hemingway (April 2021)
A biographical film examining the life and work of one of America’s greatest writers, a man who changed the course of literature.
Muhammad Ali (Fall 2021)
A biographical film about boxer and civil rights figure Muhammad Ali, one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century who shaped his times with his powerful voice, mesmerizing presence, and achievements in and outside of the ring.
Benjamin Franklin (2022)
A biographical film about the colorful and extremely consequential life of one of the nation’s most complex and compelling Founding Fathers.