HISTORIC FRANKLIN THEATRE TO HOST SPECIAL SCREENING OF NEW KEN BURNS FILM EXPLORING HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN BUFFALO
Event will take place on Monday, September 25th at the historic Franklin Theatre; it is hosted by Tracy Frist and sponsored by the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County and Nashville Public Television
Attendees will be treated to an early 45-minute look at scenes from THE AMERICAN BUFFALO followed by a Q&A moderated by Senator Bill Frist with the film’s writer Dayton Duncan and Dr. Dwayne Estes (Executive Director of the Southeastern Grasslands Institute), and Jon Meacham (Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian)
Tickets are on sale at The Franklin Theatre’s website
Franklin, TN – Aug. 16, 2023 – Thanks to the generosity and commitment of host Tracy Frist and sponsors the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County and Nashville Public Television, and with the support of The Better Angels Society, the historic Franklin Theatre will host an early preview of THE AMERICAN BUFFALO, a new film directed by Ken Burns, Monday, September 25. Excerpts of the film will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Senator Bill Frist, global chair of The Nature Conservancy, featuring Dayton Duncan, writer of THE AMERICAN BUFFALO, Dr. Dwayne Estes, executive director of the Southeastern Grasslands Institute, and Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian Jon Meacham.
The Franklin community will be among the first in the country to receive a preview of the highly anticipated film weeks before it airs nationally on Oct. 16 and 17 on PBS and be one of the few locations to host the film’s writer Duncan (COUNTRY MUSIC, THE DUST BOWL, THE NATIONAL PARKS, LEWIS & CLARK) in person. Duncan is also the author of the companion book, “Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalo,” to be published in early November.
“We’re so proud to welcome the most talented people working in documentary filmmaking for a very special evening in Franklin, Tennessee at the historic Franklin Theatre,” said Tracy Frist, philanthropist and host of the event. “Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan are celebrated American treasures, so to host Dayton Duncan and be among the first to be treated to a preview of Ken Burns’s newest film is an opportunity that does not come along often.”
Continued Frist, “As a community that so deeply values history and its preservation, the story of THE AMERICAN BUFFALO will resonate with Franklin and Middle Tennessee. We’re so excited to be able to showcase the very best of American storytelling on literally one of America’s most celebrated Main Streets.”
“We are so pleased to present this special event alongside such great partners,” said Katherine Malone-France, President and CEO of The Better Angels Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Americans about their history through documentary film, which raised over $5 million to fund THE AMERICAN BUFFALO. “The Better Angels Society believes that historical documentary films are a powerful tool to engage Americans with the stories of our shared history and create opportunities for thoughtful discussions that link our past and our future. We look forward to previewing Ken’s new film with Tennesseans in September in Franklin, a community with a deep appreciation for the ongoing relevance of our common history, and with a national audience when it airs on PBS in October.”
Tickets are available on the Franklin Theatre’s website: https://secure.franklintheatre.com/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=398079~cfe40b7d-1c56-4c4b-b937-600bdd7c5904&epguid=ec603d00-da88-44ed-a586-4d03be603310&
All proceeds will go to The Better Angels Society, Heritage Foundation of Wiliamson County, and The Franklin Theatre.
THE AMERICAN BUFFALO is the biography of an improbable, shaggy beast that has found itself at the center of many of the country’s most mythic and heartbreaking tales. The series, which has been in production for four years, will take viewers on a journey through more than 10,000 years of North American history and across some of the continent’s most iconic landscapes, tracing the mammal’s evolution, its significance to the Great Plains and, most importantly, its relationship to the Indigenous People of North America.
“It is a quintessentially American story,” Ken Burns said, “filled with unforgettable stories and people. But it is also a morality tale encompassing two historically significant lessons that resonate today: how humans can damage the natural world and also how we can work together to make choices to preserve the environment around us. The story of the American buffalo is also the story of Native nations who lived with and relied on the buffalo to survive, developing a sacred relationship that evolved over more than 10,000 years but which was almost completely severed in fewer than 100.”
For thousands of generations, buffalo have evolved alongside Indigenous people who relied on them for food and shelter, and, in exchange for killing them, revered the animal. The stories of Native people anchor the series, including the Kiowa, Comanche and Cheyenne of the Southern Plains; the Pawnee of the Central Plains; the Salish, Kootenai, Lakota, Mandan-Hidatasa, Aaniiih, Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Blackfeet from the Northern Plains; and others.
The film includes interviews with leading Native American scholars, land experts and Tribal Nation members. Among those interviewed were Gerard Baker (Mandan-Hidatsa), George Horse Capture, Jr. (Aaniiih), Rosalyn LaPier (Blackfeet of Montana and Métis), N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa), Marcia Pablo (Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai), Ron Parker (Comanche), Dustin Tahmahkera (Comanche) and Germaine White (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes).
THE AMERICAN BUFFALO is a production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C. Directed by Ken Burns. Written by Dayton Duncan. Produced by Julie Dunfey and Ken Burns, and co-produced by Susan Shumaker. Emily Mosher served as associate producer and Julianna Brannum as consulting producer. Edited by Craig Mellish, ACE; Alex Cucchi, assistant editor. Principal cinematography by Buddy Squires. Narrated by Peter Coyote. The executive in charge for WETA is John F. Wilson. Executive producer is Ken Burns.
Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN BUFFALO was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by The Better Angels Society and its following members: The Margaret A. Cargill Foundation fund at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; John and Catherine Debs; Kissick Family Foundation; Fred and Donna Seigel; Jacqueline Mars; John and Leslie McQuown; and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Tudor Jones. Funding was also provided by The Volgenau Foundation.
For more information on the film, visit: https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/new-ken-burns-film-explores-history-of-the-american-buffalo/
About the Better Angels Society
The Better Angels Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Americans about their history through documentary film. Their mission is to be the preeminent organization supporting American history documentary filmmakers, advancing the use of their body of work to promote civic engagement and educate generations of students and lifelong learners. The Society works to ensure historically significant films by an array of emerging and established filmmakers are completed, broadcast, promoted, and shared in ways that reach and inform as many people as possible through robust educational and civic outreach. They are currently raising funds for the films of Ken Burns and his team, as well as their Better Angel Stories initiative, which provides funding for films on public media through partnerships with American Experience (GBH), American Masters (WNET), and WETA. In support of their mission, The Better Angels Society also administers the annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film and sponsors The Next Generation Angels Awards in partnership with National History Day.
About the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County
Since 1967, the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County has been dedicated to preserving Williamson County’s architectural, geographic and cultural heritage as well as promoting the ongoing revitalization of downtown Franklin in the context of historic preservation. Notable projects include The Franklin Theatre, Roper’s Knob, parts of the Franklin battlefield and the Old, Old Jail. Events and festivals produced by the Heritage Foundation such as Main Street Festival, the Heritage Ball, PumpkinFest and Dickens of a Christmas bring an estimated 300,000+ locals and visitors to downtown Franklin each year that creates more than a $10 million dollar economic impact annually. The Heritage Foundation owns and operates The Franklin Theatre, Downtown Franklin Association, Franklin Grove Estate & Gardens, and its newest historic adaptive reuse project: The History & Culture Center of Williamson County. For more information about the Heritage Foundation, visitwww.williamsonheritage.org.
About Nashville Public Television
Nashville Public Television, Nashville’s PBS station, is available free and over-the-air to nearly 2.4 million people throughout the Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky viewing area. NPT’s four broadcast channels are NPT, the main channel; secondary channel NPT2 (WORLD Channel); NPT3, a 24/7 PBS Kids channel; and NPT4 (Create TV). NPT is also available to anyone in the world through its array of NPT digital services, including wnpt.org, YouTube channels and the PBS video app. NPT provides, through the power of traditional television and interactive digital communications, quality educational, cultural and civic experiences that address issues and concerns of the people of the Nashville region, and which thereby help improve the lives of those we serve. Join the conversation at facebook.com/nashvillepublictelevision, on Twitter @npt8 and on Instagram @nashvillepubtv.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 42 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 15 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, and 56 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS Learning Media for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on Twitter.
###
