On October 9th, P.O.V., public television’s annual award-winning showcase for independent non-fiction films, launched “P.O.V.’s Borders” – PBS’s first web-only documentary series. This interactive, multipart series will appeal to the millions of people looking for provocative and thoughtful online entertainment, educators in search of engaging issue-based curricular materials, and internet users interested in moving point-of-view perspectives.
“’P.O.V.’s Borders’ is an extension of our continued interest in experimenting with and developing innovative, interactive methods of presenting non-fiction film,” says P.O.V. executive director, Cara Mertes – creator and executive producer for the series. “It is our hope that the series will ultimately serve as a model for high quality, compelling and sustainable storytelling that inspires civic engagement online.”
The series pilot will unfold over 10 weeks, serving as a prototype for an expanded project set to begin in 2003. The second installment of the series is currently being planned.
“P.O.V.’s Borders” asks questions about the borders, both literal and metaphysical, that we encounter in our lives, challenging commonly held ideas about individual, cultural, communal, and geographic boundaries. What are your borders? How easy is it for you to recognize and understand the borders of another person? Produced by P.O.V. Interactive, P.O.V.’s award-winning web department, with assistance from acclaimed web designer Vivian Selbo of cavil.com, the first episode, “Borders: Migration,” will contain both commissioned and acquired content that explores our bordered lives, concentrating on ‘migration’ as an overall theme.
For more information, visit the P.O.V.’s Borders website.
