Arkansas PBS > Engage > Pressroom > Ken Burns's 'The Vietnam War' to premiere on AETN Sept. 17
Posted 13 Jul 2017
'The Vietnam War,' a 10-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, will premiere on the Arkansas Educational Television Network Sunday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. An immersive 360-degree narrative, the series tells the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. The first five episodes will air Sept. 17 through Thursday, September 21, and the final five episodes will air Sunday, Sept. 24, through Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 each night. A repeat broadcast will immediately follow the premiere of each episode.
'The Vietnam War' features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.
Ten years in the making, the series brings the war and the chaotic epoch it encompassed viscerally to life. It includes rarely seen, digitally re-mastered archival footage, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and revelatory audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.
'The Vietnam War' features new, original music written and recorded by Academy Award-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The film also features new music arranged and performed by Grammy Award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble. Also included are more than 120 popular songs that define the era, including tracks from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Simon & Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, Ben E. King, Johnny Cash, Otis Redding, Santana, Joni Mitchell, The Temptations and more.
The film will be accompanied by an outreach and public engagement program, providing opportunities for communities to participate in a national conversation about what happened during the Vietnam War, what went wrong and what lessons are to be learned. Viewers are encouraged to join the conversation: #VietnamWarPBS.
AETN's local initiative, 'AETN Salutes Arkansas Vietnam Veterans,' will include the following:
Additional information about AETN's local initiative, including complete information on how to get involved, is available at aetn.org/thevietnamwar.
Funding for 'The Vietnam War' is provided by Bank of America; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; PBS; David H. Koch; The Blavatnik Family Foundation; Park Foundation; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; National Endowment for the Humanities; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Ford Foundation Just Films; Rockefeller Brothers Fund; and Members of The Better Angels Society.
'The Vietnam War' is a production of Florentine Films and WETA, Washington, DC.
The Arkansas Educational Television Network is Arkansas's only statewide public media network, which enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. AETN delivers local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers through the distinct channels AETN PBS, AETN Create, AETN PBS KIDS, AETN World and AETN AIRS on SAP. AETN depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at aetn.org. AETN is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro) and KETZ (El Dorado).