Interview:
Heather Courtney,
Princess A. Hairston,
Chelsea Hernandez,
directors,
"Breaking the News"
Co-directed by Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez, the documentary Breaking the News follows the Austin-based The 19th* during its first two years in operation as a non-profit digital media outlet with a focus on gender, politics, and policies. The documentary opens in early 2020 as the startup—named after the 19th Amendment and founded by Emily Ranshaw and Amanda Zamora, formerly of the Texas Tribune—seeks financial backing in advance of the summer launch of its website. The documentary delves deep into The 19th*’s efforts to overcome the obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic as its staffs up to cover the 2020 election, protests against racial injustice, and the fights against abortion restrictions and anti-trans legislation. As it grows in size and scope, The 19th* also must contend with internal pressure to demonstrate greater commitment to diversity and inclusion within the workplace and in its news coverage. Breaking the News will premiere at 9 p.m. Feb. 19 on KLRU-TV as part of the PBS series Independent Lens and will then be available to stream at (https://www.pbs.org/show/independent-lens/). Breaking the News will also screen at 4 p.m. Feb. 24 at the AFS Cinema with The 19th* CEO Emily Ranshaw in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. Former Austinite Heather Courtney previously directed Where Soldiers Come From and The Unafraid. Princess A. Hairston previously produced the TV miniseries Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop and is currently directing Tracing the Hairstons, a documentary about one of America’s most prominent slave-holding families. Austin-based filmmaker Chelsea Hernandez previously directed Building the American Dream, co-directed the short documentary An Uncertain Future, and produced the narrative short In Tow.
Aired: Feb. 14, 2024. Web sites: https://www.breakingthenewsfilm.com/ https://19thnews.org/ https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/breaking-the-news/ https://www.pbs.org/show/independent-lens/ https://www.austinfilm.org/screening/indie-lens-breaking-the-news/ |
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