Highlights Archive

Disability Pride Month Collection • On-Demand

Take time to honor Disability Pride Month observe the landmark anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26 and consider its wider impact and implications across culture and society.

Each year we honor Disability Pride Month which offers a time to observe the landmark anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26 and consider its wider impact and implications across culture and society. Our collection is grounded in this year’s theme, “The World Works Better With Us”, which promotes self-advocacy, support, education and advocacy for rights and inclusion across public spaces for all people living and thriving with disabilities. In this six-film suite, we share compelling stories that center intimate perspectives of lived experiences where self-love and acceptance are paramount, where fears and anxieties lead to profound moments of change, where community uplifts and finds power in collective action and shows how creativity provides pathways for communication.

In All Riders, a group of disabled NYC commuters rally together in their fight for accessibility on the MTA. Co-director Sam Habib documents his transition into adulthood in The Ride Ahead as he navigates his private and public life while living with a rare genetic disorder. I Didn’t See You There provides a personal and political perspective on the legacy of the spectacle of the Freak Show and the paradoxical nature of visibility and visibility for people with disabilities. Two stories foreground the isolating experience of disability; the director and protagonist in Is There Anybody Out There? searches for others who are like her while Pedro battles mental health issues as a young, blind undocumented immigrant in the award-winning film unseen. Finally, the communicative power of creative expression lights up the screen in The Beautiful Colors of Jeremy Sicile-Kira.

WXXI is proud to be a co-presenter of this collection as part of our Move to Include^TM initiative, which promotes disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media. Built on the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”, Move to Include spotlights the lived experience of people with disabilities and highlights important issues around disability, including education, healthcare, housing, employment, and more – through television, radio, news, education, community events, and digital media.

Click here to access the Community Network!

Once Upon A Time In Space • WXXI-TV

At the dawn of a new space race, this four-part series tells the human story of our quest to explore the cosmos.

Once Upon A Time In Space Airs Tuesdays, July 14th- July 28th at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Drawing on intimate, unseen archive and powerful first-hand testimony, this landmark 4-part series tells the human stories behind our quest to explore space, offering a unique perspective on our changing world and where we are headed.

Episodes:

“America First” airs July 14th. A pioneering class of astronauts is recruited by NASA to fly aboard its new Space Shuttle.

“The Russian Thing” airs July 21st. When the Soviet Union falls, Russia welcomes US astronauts to their space station Mir.

“Politics Always Wins” airs July 28th. The arrival of the International Space Station promises a new era of cooperation in space.

“Friends Forever” airs August 4th. Relationships aboard the ISS are tested when war breaks out on Earth.

Credit: Nasa

Independent Lens “Flood” • WXXI-TV

A filmmaker revisits her evangelical roots to find connection with her estranged father.

Independent Lens “Flood” airsMonday, July 13th at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Returning home to California’s Inland Empire, filmmaker Katy Scoggin seeks to reconnect with her estranged father, who works as an elementary science teacher. He is the only evangelical left in the family, and as they face their differences on faith, family, and belonging, their journey becomes a portrait of empathy and resilience. Together, they find new ways to listen and bridge divides.

Credit: Spencer Worthley

Independent Lens “True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power” • WXXI-TV

How 1960s Montreal helped shape the global movement for Black liberation.

Independent Lens “True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power” airs Monday, July 6th at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Through rare archival footage and firsthand accounts, True North revisits 1968 Montreal, where Black liberation movements converged at the Congress of Black Writers. As student protests ignited the Sir George Williams Affair, Black youth faced violent repression, unfolding a powerful chapter of the global Black Power era.

Credit: La Presse

Robert Duvall: Star of the Silver Screen • WXXI-TV

This documentary looks back at the remarkable career of Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall (1931-2026).

Robert Duvall: Star of the Silver Screen airs Thursday, July 9th at 8pm on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Clips are shown from his most well-known productions, including the films The Godfather, The Great Santini, Tender Mercies, and the television miniseries Lonesome Dove.

Photo Credit: APT

Nature “Niagara Falls” • WXXI-TV

Embark to Niagara Falls and witness its stunning beauty and a wide variety of wildlife—mammals, birds, and reptiles— that call it home.

Nature “Niagara Falls” airs Wednesday July 8th at 8pm on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Witness the story of an extraordinary ecosystem – larger than the state of Texas, and more precious than oil. The heartbeat of this remarkable water world is Niagara Falls. Through the eyes of passionate scientists and naturalists, uncover a complex world forged by stone and powered by water. In this realm, tiny shrews hunt in freezing cold rivers, spectacular shorebird migration unfolds over thundering falls, snowy owls stalk their prey from ice flows, and prehistoric snapping turtles brave a perilous overland journey. All these creatures and many more are part of a remarkable narrative unfolding in one of the most unique ecosystems in North America – Niagara.

Photo credit: Nature

POV “The Gas Station Attendant” • WXXI-TV

Using intimately recorded phone calls and home movies, a daughter reflects on her father’s life and their complex relationship — weaving the story of his miraculous journey from the streets of India with the realities of life in America.

POV “The Gas Station Attendant” airs Monday, August 3rd at 10pm on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Karla’s sensitive portrait of her Indian migrant father, HN Shantha Murthy, and his lifelong chase of the American dream, arrives at a time when the immigrant issue has turned extremely fractious and distressing in the USA, threatening to rip apart the social fabric, making the film gain relevance (…) The migrant experience is central to Karla’s film but she frames it within the context of a family saga, more so a father-daughter dialogue of sorts. (…) Karla’s is a compassionate, caring and intimate look back at him, in which Shantha comes across as an extremely affectionate, warm, understanding and loving father. An admirable man that few in the wide world would have known but for his daughter’s film on him.

Photo Credit: POV Magazine

People of The American Revolution & Women’s Rights Screening • The Central Library

Join WXXI & Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County for a 250th short 30 minute open captioned film screening about everyday people living at the time of the American Revolution from the PBS American Revolution series. The short screening will be followed by a discussion of the rights that women did NOT receive at the end of the American Revolution and their fight for suffrage and equality over the years that followed. Participants will also have an opportunity to explore the Exhibit: Sketching Rochester’s Revolutionary Roots Exhibit.

The event is free but registration is required.

Details:

Thursday, July 9, 2026 from 4pm-5:30pm (Doors open at 3:30pm)
Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
The event will be held in the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building in the 1st floor in the Kate Gleason Auditorium

Parking Information:

Parking Information for Central Library Parking At Central: The most convenient parking is in the Court Street Garage, which is adjacent to the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building at 194 Court St. South Avenue Garage located at 39 Stone St. is the next closest. For photos of garages and rate information go here

Discussion

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the following guests:

Allison Hinman, President & CEO, National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

Taylor Phillips, Director of Education, National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

Molly Jessup, Acting Interpretation and Education Manager, Women’s Rights National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman National Historical Park

Explore the Exhibit: Sketching Rochester’s Revolutionary Roots

Following the discussion, there will be an opportunity to explore the Sketching Rochester’s Revolutionary Roots 250th Exhibit located at Central Library. Curators and costumed interpreters will be stationed throughout the exhibit to interact with visitors and answer questions. They will available for an hour after the program ends.

About the exhibit: An exhibit exploring Rochester’s connections to the American Revolution and its legacy featuring original artwork by J. Erwin Porter on loan from the New York State Museum and artifacts from local collections. Presented by the Office of Rochester & Monroe County History, the Irondequoit Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Rochester Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Note:

ASL interpretation will be provided for opening remarks and post-screening panel discussion. This film is presented with open captions. If needed, we plan to have interpreters available during the exhibit part of the program as well. Additional accommodations may be requested during the registration process. Please contact Sarah Murphy Abbamonte, Project Manager for Move to Include, at sabbamonte@wxxi.org with any questions.