Indie Films

REEL SOUTH

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.

Over the Wall

17m 42s

Nine seconds, it’s about all you have. Welcome to the fast-paced world of a NASCAR pit crew. OVER THE WALL is an immersive film following Brehanna Daniels, the first Black woman pit crew member and tire changer in NASCAR, as she works her way back from injury to participate in the Daytona 500, the sports biggest race. A testament to the power of perseverance and what it takes to be a trailblazer.

Episodes

  • Boca Chica: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Boca Chica

    S9 E906 - 13m 53s

    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.

  • Black Ag: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Black Ag

    S9 E906 - 8m 54s

    A Black scientist brings together local Black farmers to combat the effects of climate change and create opportunities in Black agriculture for new generations in the Arkansas delta.

  • Echoes of the Rio: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Echoes of the Rio

    S9 E906 - 8m 6s

    One El Paso filmmaker calls on her Indigenous and Mexican ancestors to explore the cyclical starvation of the Rio Grande river and the human and inhumane factors contributing to the disappearance of its culture and bounty.

  • Cash Crop: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Cash Crop

    S9 E906 - 10m 43s

    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.

  • Mothertown: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Mothertown

    S9 E906 - 11m 29s

    The site of the original settlement of the Cherokee, the Kituwah mound, was thought lost for centuries. In her moving retelling of the efforts to reclaim the tribe’s land, former Chief Joyce Dugan and fellow tribe members foreground the spiritual, emotional, and social impact of Kituwah’s legacy. This is the story of how the Cherokee finally took their “land back.”

  • In Exile: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    In Exile

    S9 E903 - 11m 24s

    In Springdale, Arkansas, migrants from the Marshall Islands gather to commemorate the 1946 bombing of Bikini Atoll and ask the questions: Why did the United States choose their islands and what are the ongoing impacts on their indigenous Pacific Island community? “In Exile” explores the nuclear legacy of the US in the Pacific and the lingering catastrophe in its wake.

  • Fallout: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Fallout

    S9 E903 - 17m 46s

    Three community members in a rural Appalachian town experience illness after exposure to contamination from a nearby US Army Ammunition Plant. Due to the open burning of waste, the facility is considered the largest polluter in Virginia, releasing millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into the air, soil, and water each year. The film incorporates contaminants from the facility into 16mm film.

  • Finding Us: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Finding Us

    S9 E903 - 13m

    Georgetown University sold hundreds of enslaved people to stave off bankruptcy, scattering families across the South, never to see each other again. With the help of DNA databases, their descendants are reconnecting six generations later. “Finding Us” is a portrait of four descendants who are using their unique talents to regrow the family trees felled nearly two centuries ago.

  • The Day That Shook Georgia: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Day That Shook Georgia

    S9 E901 - 21m 10s

    In 1971, one of the worst industrial tragedies in U.S. history shook rural Southeast Georgia. The victims were predominantly Black women, manufacturing trip flares for the Vietnam War. Over 50 years later, survivors and first responders shed new light on the bravery and sacrifice of that day, and a grassroots campaign seeks to award the victims with the Congressional Gold Medal.

  • I'm the Girl – the Story of a Photograph: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    I'm the Girl – the Story of a Photograph

    S9 E905 - 16m 24s

    In 1951, a little girl became mesmerized by a Christmas display window in downtown Louisville. A photo of her has remained iconic for over seventy years. To this day, the identity of this wide-eyed child remains unconfirmed, except among the dozens of women who claim to be her. 'I'm the Girl' investigates the power of a single image, what it means to be seen, and the magic of the Holiday season.

Extras + Features

  • Memories of a Tobacco Farm: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Memories of a Tobacco Farm

    S9 E906 - 1m 15s

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

  • Mothertown | Official Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Mothertown | Official Trailer

    S9 E906 - 13s

    The site of the original settlement of the Cherokee, the Kituwah mound, was thought lost for centuries. In her moving retelling of the efforts to reclaim the tribe’s land, former Chief Joyce Dugan and fellow tribe members foreground the spiritual, emotional, and social impact of Kituwah’s legacy. This is the story of how the Cherokee finally took their “land back.”

  • Joyce's Resolution: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Joyce's Resolution

    S9 E906 - 1m 49s

    Joyce Dugan, former Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, recalls her resolution to purchase land with historical importance to the tribe.

  • Boca Chica | Official Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Boca Chica | Official Trailer

    S9 E906 - 13s

    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.

  • Black Ag | Official Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Black Ag | Official Trailer

    S9 E906 - 17s

    A Black scientist brings together local Black farmers to combat the effects of climate change and create opportunities in Black agriculture for new generations in the Arkansas delta.

  • Creation Story at Boca Chica: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Creation Story at Boca Chica

    S9 E906 - 1m 47s

    Juan Mancias is fighting for access to Boca Chica, a beach in Texas used by SpaceX, since it is an important cultural site for his tribe.

  • Echoes of the Rio | Official Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Echoes of the Rio | Official Trailer

    S9 E906 - 16s

    One El Paso filmmaker calls on her Indigenous and Mexican ancestors to explore the cyclical starvation of the Rio Grande river and the human and inhumane factors contributing to the disappearance of its culture and bounty.

  • Cash Crop | Official Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Cash Crop | Official Trailer

    S9 E906 - 14s

    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.

  • Remember Who You Are: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Remember Who You Are

    S9 E906 - 1m 47s

    Once a sustainer of life, the Rio Grande now is plagued by drought, taking away an important source of cultural connection.

  • Is This The Girl?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Is This The Girl?

    S9 E905 - 1m 56s

    Women from Louisville, Kentucky, discuss the mystery behind a famous photograph and whether they could be the girl from the iconic image.

  • Laurie Covers a Nursing Home Groundbreaking: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Laurie Covers a Nursing Home Groundbreaking

    S9 E905 - 1m 40s

    Laurie Ezzell Brown, publisher and editor of the Canadian Record, covers the groundbreaking of a new nursing home and discusses the importance of keeping the weekly newspaper alive.

Schedule

  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    Stay Prayed Up

    Saturday
    Dec 21

    1 Hour

    Lena Mae Perry, 83, leads The Branchettes, a North Carolina gospel group.
  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    Stay Prayed Up

    Saturday
    Dec 21

    1 Hour

    Lena Mae Perry, 83, leads The Branchettes, a North Carolina gospel group.
  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    Stay Prayed Up

    Saturday
    Dec 21

    1 Hour

    Lena Mae Perry, 83, leads The Branchettes, a North Carolina gospel group.
  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    The Only Doctor

    Thursday
    Jan 2

    1 Hour

    The only doctor in rural Clay County, Ga., faces the possibility of closing her clinic.
  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    The Only Doctor

    Friday
    Jan 3

    1 Hour

    The only doctor in rural Clay County, Ga., faces the possibility of closing her clinic.
  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    The Only Doctor

    Friday
    Jan 3

    1 Hour

    The only doctor in rural Clay County, Ga., faces the possibility of closing her clinic.
  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    The Only Doctor

    Saturday
    Jan 4

    1 Hour

    The only doctor in rural Clay County, Ga., faces the possibility of closing her clinic.
  • Image
    Reel South: TVSS: Banner-L1

    REEL SOUTH

    The Only Doctor

    Monday
    Jan 6

    1 Hour

    The only doctor in rural Clay County, Ga., faces the possibility of closing her clinic.

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