The richly obsessive life and work of renowned autistic artist Gregory Blackstock comes to life, as he uses his art to catalogue and make sense of the world around him. Gregory’s cousin Dorothy helps bring his drawings to the attention of the art world, while the film brings his work to life through hand-crafted animation, drawing you into the unique vision of this singular artist.
WXXI Move to Include
4 Wheel Bob • WXXI-WORLD
Tells the story of Bob Coomber, an intrepid adventurer who sets out to become the first wheelchair hiker to cross the 11,845 foot Kearsarge Pass in the Sierra Nevada of California.
4 Wheel Bob airs Wednesday, October 23 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.
The one-hour documentary follows the inspirational journey of Bob while encouraging us to look at our own self-imposed limitations and perhaps reach beyond what we think is possible.
This film is presented as part of Move to Include™ , a national initiative in partnership with WXXI and The Golisano Foundation that uses the power of public media to promote inclusion. Click here to learn more.
Photo: Bob Coomber • Provided by Tritone Films
Independent Lens: The Tuba Thieves On-Demand
The Tuba Thieves: What is the role of sound and what does it mean to listen? Hard of hearing filmmaker Alison O’Daniel uses a series of tuba thefts in Los Angeles high schools as a jumping-off point to explore these questions. Through several d/Deaf people telling stories in a unique game of telephone, the central mystery of The Tuba Thieves isn’t about theft of instruments; it’s about the nature of sound itself.
Watch On-Demand Through 8/18/24
More About the Film at PBS Independent Lens: The Tuba Thieves
Learn More: ITVS Film Website
Independent Lens: The Tuba Thieves on WXXI-WORLD
The experimental documentary The Tuba Thieves is about deaf storytelling and the very nature of sound and listening.
Independent Lens: The Tuba Thieves airs Saturday, July 26 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD
The Tuba Thieves: Between 2011 and 2013, tubas were stolen from high schools across Southern California. Against this backdrop, hard of hearing filmmaker Alison O’Daniel generates new sensitivity to sound and meaning in an unconventional documentary experience. What does it mean to listen? An exploration of musicality set against a theft. The central mystery of this unconventional documentary isn’t about theft; it’s about the nature of sound itself.
This program is presented as part of Move to Include.
Watch the Extended Trailer:
More About the Film at PBS Independent Lens: The Tuba Thieves
Learn More: ITVS Film Website
In a Different Key • WXXI-TV
How life turned out for the first child diagnosed with autism, and what acceptance means.
In a Different Key airs Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
A mother tracks down the first person ever diagnosed with autism, now an elderly man living in rural Mississippi, to learn if his life story holds promise for her own autistic son. Her journey exposes a startling record of cruelty and kindness alike, framed by forces like race, money and privilege – but leads to hope that more communities are learning to have the backs of people on the spectrum.
Photo: Title card • Credit: WXXI
Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s • On-Demand
Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s, a film by Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green features three people—a political cartoonist, a mother turned boxing coach, and an optician as they navigate their lives with resourcefulness and determination in the face of a degenerative illness, Parkinson’s disease.
Available on-demand through 5/8/2024
Photo from Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s – Independent Lens
Watch the Trailer:
Learn More: Film Website
PBS Independent Lens: Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s
About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a community series that brings people together for film screenings and conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most. Learn more at pbs.org/indielenspopup
Presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Stream anytime on the PBS App. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens.
Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s • WXXI-World
Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s, a film by Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green features three people—a political cartoonist, a mother turned boxing coach, and an optician as they navigate their lives with resourcefulness and determination in the face of a degenerative illness, Parkinson’s disease.
Airing on WXXI-World Channel on April 10th at 8pm.
Photo from Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s – Independent Lens
Watch the Trailer:
Learn More: Film Website
PBS Independent Lens: Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s
About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a community series that brings people together for film screenings and conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most. Learn more at pbs.org/indielenspopup
Presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Stream anytime on the PBS App. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens.
Elinor Wonders Why: Ms. Mole’s Glasses On-Demand
Elinor and her friends set out to return Ms. Mole’s glasses to her after she forgets them at school. Ms. Mole can’t see anything without her glasses! When Ms. Mole forgets her glasses at school, Elinor and her friends follow her to return them. Ms. Mole can’t see anything without her glasses! The kids travel throughout Animal Town, just missing Ms. Mole at every turn. During their travels, the kids realize Ms. Mole has been shopping and getting around using different senses. By the time they finally reach Ms. Mole and return her glasses, she’s got all her shopping done without them. Cool!
Then in the second half of the episode, in Elinor Stops the Squish, Elinor and her friends want to bring Ms. Mole a cupcake for her birthday, but they’re worried it will get squished on the way to school. The kids find inspiration in nature when they observe how different animals/creatures stay safe using their shells as a defense mechanism. Elinor, Ari and Olive use this idea as inspiration to make a shell around the cupcake using a hard coconut. Because of the kids’ hard work and ingenuity, the cupcake makes it all the way to school without being squished, just in time for Ms. Mole to enjoy her present. Yum!