Documentary series on contemporary African Diaspora premieres
on public television’s WORLD Channel
NEW YORK , N.Y. – Acclaimed actor Anthony Mackie adds TV host to his resume as he joins “AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange.” The star, best known for his roles in “8 Mile,” “The Hurt Locker” and “Pain & Gain,” will emcee the sixth season of the documentary program, which brings films about popular culture across the African Diaspora to the small screen. The series, produced by National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and co-presented by American Public Television (APT), premieres on public television’s WORLD Channel on Monday, January 13, at 8 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT and runs weekly on Mondays through February 10. Along with the WORLD Channel airings, APT will distribute “AfroPoP” to additional public television channels in February 2014.
This season “AfroPoP” cuts to New York City to examine the birthplace of the worldwide pickup basketball phenomenon with Bobbito García and Kevin Couliau’s “Doin’ It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC,” co-presented by Latino Public Broadcasting (January 13). “AfroPoP” hoofs it across America and India to catch the dynamic collaboration of two dance masters, Indian Kathak guru Pandit Chitresh Das and African-American tap star Jason Samuels Smith, with “Upaj: Improvise” by Hoku Uchiyama, co-presented by the Center for Asian American Media (January 20).
The series then journeys to Africa for a special look at Sierra Leone with two films: Rebecca Richman Cohen’s “War Don Don” (“The War Is Over”), an inside view of the U.N. special court trial of senior rebel leader Issa Sesay for his role in the country’s 10-year conflict (January 27), and Daan Veldhuizen’s “Stories from Lakka Beach,” which captures the engaging stories of a colorful mix of villagers in the post-conflict nation (February 3). “AfroPoP” rounds the bases with “Boys of Summer” by Keith Aumont and a scrappy but determined band of young ballplayers on the Caribbean island of Curaçao who are trying to make it to the Little League World Series for the eighth year in a row (February 10).
“As an actor I’ve been blessed to be immersed in various world cultures, so I’m honored to have a role in sharing compelling stories like these with people across America,” said Mackie. “Film is such a powerful tool in bringing understanding and harmony to people of all backgrounds and life experiences.”
“NBPC is especially pleased to be working with one of today’s brightest actors, Anthony Mackie, whose career we’ve been following since he starred in the 2004 feature film ‘Brother to Brother,’ which we helped fund,” said NBPC Director of Programming Leslie Fields-Cruz, who is also co-executive producer of the series. “With Anthony agreeing to serve as this year’s ‘AfroPoP’ host, in many ways it feels that NBPC’s important work has come full circle.”
Mackie joins an exclusive club. Past hosts of the series are Idris Elba, Anika Noni Rose, Wyatt Cenac and Gabourey Sidibe.
For all things “AfroPoP,” visit www.blackpublicmedia.org. To find out when and where to watch, including additional air dates for each of the episodes, check your local listings or go to www.worldchannel.org.
