[youtube id=”O8pLATICKq8″] Rita Coburn Whack introduced Common and Maya Angelou and she is also the co-producer of American Masters-Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise. PBS will air the documentary Tuesday, February 21st at 8PM EST. The film will be released on DVD that day and Digital HD on February 22nd. The above clip is a quick look at behind the scenes of the documentary which is the first ever about Angelou. Her words, rare images and never seen before footage are intertwined into the piece.
Filmmakers Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack trace Angelou’s story from her childhood in the south, her days as a dancer and actress to her poem for Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration. Oprah Winfrey, Cicely Tyson, Alfre Woodard, Quincy Jones, Hillary Clinton, Valerie Simpson, Diahann Carroll, John Singleton and Louis Gossett Jr. are all interviewed.
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. It has screened at several worldwide film festivals and won 17 awards on three continents.
American Masters has launched a yearlong online campaign, #InspiringWomanPBS honoring Dr. Angelou’s principles of community engagement, artistic expression, and academic success. People can share stories of extraordinary women in their lives via text, image or videos on the American Masters website(http://pbs.org/americanmasters) Â or Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram using hashtag #InspiringWomanPBS.
