Highlights Archive

Epic Train Journey from Above • WXXI-TV + The PBS app

On the heels of a visit from Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive that rolled through western New York earlier this month as part of its celebration of the country’s 250th birthday, WXXI is proud to present this series that features some extraordinary railway journeys.

Epic Train Journey from Above airs Sunday, June 21 and June 28 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Epic Train Journey from Above follows some of the world’s most extraordinary railway journeys from above and on the ground, taking the audience on an adventure of a lifetime. We fly above spectacular scenery and explore exceptional engineering; meeting the people who maintain and run these incredible railroads as well as those who live alongside them.

Airing Sunday, June 21:
Ep. 1 I The Glacier Express train in the Swiss Alps and its amazing engineering
Ep. 2 I The Winnipeg-Churchill train crosses the difficult landscape of Manitoba
Ep. 3 I Explore the luxury of El Chepe train and its engineering as it travels through Mexico.

Airing Sunday, June 28:
Ep. 4 I The 140-year-old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and its amazing engineering
Ep. 5 I Behind the scenes on Australia’s luxury Ghan train crossing the continent
Ep. 6 I The Bergensbanen train in Western Norway and its extraordinary journey.

Check out this story from WXXI News about the Big Boy visit. Click here.

Becoming Katharine Graham • WXXI-TV + The PBS app

Tells the story of Katharine Graham’s accidental rise to power and how it changed history.

Becoming Katharine Graham airs Tuesday, June 16 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Becoming Katharine Graham tells the story of a painfully shy woman’s accidental rise to power and how it changed history. After a family tragedy, Kay evolved from a “doormat wife” into a legendary newspaper publisher. As Nixon’s nemesis during Watergate, she fought for truth, broke down barriers in a sexist world, and won a Pulitzer Prize, inspiring generations with her courage and resilience.

Caribbean Currents: A Rochester Film Experience • WXXI Studios • July 23

Join us for an evening of film, dance, and community presented in collaboration with Farrin, Garth Fagan Dance, WXXI, and The Rochester Film Commission.

What: Caribbean Currents: A Rochester Film Experience
When: Thursday, July 23 • 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Where: WXXI Studio, 280 State Street, Rochester

Click here to purchase your ticket.

At the center of the evening is Farrin, an upcoming Jamaican American independent feature film currently in development, written and directed by Rochester-born filmmaker and Fulbright Research-Arts Fellow Danielle Fuller. The story follows Maya, a Jamaican-American artist returning to Jamaica for the first time as an adult, and Sheree, a young Jamaican woman determined to leave it. As the two women form an unexpected bond, their lives begin to intertwine in unexpected ways.

Caribbean Currents is rooted in Rochester’s creative ecosystem and shaped by the belief that local storytelling carries its greatest power when supported, witnessed, and shared within the community that helps sustain it. This evening brings together film, performance, and public media as a shared cultural space where independent work can be supported.

The evening will feature insight into the development of Farrin, the journey of the project as it approaches production, perspectives on storytelling in Rochester from WXXI and the Rochester Film Commission, a performance and perspective from Garth Fagan Dance on the importance of supporting the arts and Caribbean storytelling within the diaspora.

All ticket sales directly support the production of Farrin and help bring this Rochester-rooted independent film to life.

Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom • WXXI-TV + The PBS app

A journey to Texas reveals the history & resilient hope of the Juneteenth holiday.

Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom airs Friday, June 19 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

A Black man is troubled by the legacy of American slavery and the misuse of Christianity to justify it. He travels throughout Texas and discovers how the Juneteenth holiday reveals the hope and courage that empowered the formerly enslaved and their descendants to fight for freedom in an often unjust society.

PBS KIDS Across America

PBS KIDS invites kids and families to come along on an unforgettable cross-country road trip with the PBS KIDS Across America initiative. From May through July 2026 and beyond, PBS KIDS will showcase amazing places and real kids throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories, as well as some of the American figures who have had an impact on the nation’s history to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Leading the way on May 1 is WOWSABOUT, a new special from The Jim Henson Company, followed by the launch of AMERICA’S AWESOME KIDS, a series of live-action shorts from GBH KIDS on May 22. June will bring CITY ISLAND: USA!, a miniseries of shorts from Future Brain Media, and XAVIER RIDDLE CELEBRATES AMERICAN HEROES, four specials from 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films. Additional new content from MOLLY OF DENALI and ALMA’S WAY, as well as videos and games from fan-favorites such as ARTHUR, CYBERCHASE, SESAME STREET and more, are also on the way to help boost civics and broader social studies learning.

Explore PBS KIDS Across America

America’s Awesome Kids
Explore America’s Amazing Places
Our History, Our Stories
Wild Kratts: North American Animals
Civics in Your Community
And More Related Episodes

Watch the Full Playlist

Independent Lens “The Inquisitor” • WXXI-WORLD

Meet Barbara Jordan: a civil rights icon whose powerful voice masked a complex private life.

Independent Lens “The Inquisitor” airs Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD

Explore the life and legacy of Barbara Jordan in The Inquisitor. Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moral clarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impeachment to civil rights battles, her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced struggles few ever knew of.

Watch now!

Following the premier airing on the February 23rd, the full film will be available to stream for free for 90 days at https://video.wxxi.org/show/independent-lens/ through May 23, 2026. Discussion Background and Activities are available in the The Inquisitor Film Engagement Guide.

Slamdance on the Road Tour 2026 Screening & Filmmaker Q&A • July 10 at The Little Theatre

This nationwide touring film program comes to The Little Theatre!

Friday, July 10, 2026 | 7:30pm

Little Theatre 1 (240 East Ave.)
Doors open at 6:30pm

Click here for tickets

$5 General Admission tickets
Tickets available online in advance, at our box office during open hours, or at the door (if tickets remain).

Slamdance On The Road 2026 is a nationwide touring film program bringing the best of the Slamdance Film Festival to audiences everywhere. This tour stop at The Little features Unstoppable programming, highlighting films created by filmmakers with visible and non-visible disabilities. These dedicated programs expand Slamdance’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, representation, and elevating underrepresented voices in independent cinema.

Featuring the short films Talk and Contours, and the feature You Look Fine, followed by a live Q&A with filmmaker/comedian J Snow.

Accessibility at this Screening

• Open Captions
• Hearing Amplification (accessibility device or hearing loop)
• ASL Interpretation (introduction and presentation)

Disability Representation in the Media Virtual Panel Discussion • July 7

Join Move to Include Tuesday, July 7 at 7 p.m. for a FREE virtual panel discussion on the good and bad of disability representation in film, television, & other media.

In honor of Disability Pride Month, Move to Include is pleased to bring you this important conversation on the current state of disability representation in media and the arts. Our panel of industry experts will discuss the good, the bad, and what opportunities are ahead for disabled creatives, both in front of and behind the camera.

Joining us:

Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, Casting Director
Markus Essien, Educator and Artist
Kristen Lopez, Entertainment journalist, EIC of The Film Maven, and author

Accessibility: Zoom auto-generated captions will be enabled for this session. If you have additional accessibility requests, please note this in the registration form. Please contact Sarah Murphy Abbamonte, Project Manager for Move to Include(TM), at sabbamonte@wxxi.org with any questions.

Click here to reserve your free spot