Public Media from Michigan State University

A Day in the Life of America | Independent Lens

Statue of Liberty at night as fireworks appear in the background.
Courtesy of Paradox

Mon. Jan. 11 at 10pm on WKAR-HD 23.1 & STREAMING | On July 4, 2017, more than 90 film crews across the country capture one day in the life of America.Americans are seen in the midst of life, liberty and their particular pursuits of happiness, creating an unflinching snapshot of the depth and breadth of the American experience.

Shot over the course of a single day, across all 50 states in America plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, A Day in the Life of America is a powerful new documentary that captures a portrait of a nation in a time of tumult. Directed by Oscar-winning actor and accomplished musician Jared Leto, the film conveys the wide-ranging beliefs, experiences, and struggles of Americans from all walks of life, showing alternately beautiful and provocative glimpses into the diversity and division of the United States.

Opening in the early dawn of July 4, 2017, the film shares vignettes from individuals and communities across the United States as the nation prepares for a day of celebrations... or in some cases, protests. Among the documentary’s wide-ranging subjects are the first openly transgender woman in New York’s Hasidic Jewish community; an interracial, same-sex couple in Texas; a First Nations community in South Dakota; a female truck driver in Wisconsin; Ku Klux Klan members preparing for a demonstration in Charlottesville and a family in a neighborhood of Chicago wracked by gun violence.

Watch each episode at video.wkar.org during or after the premiere date.

MORE ABOUT INDEPENDENT LENS:
Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award-winning, weekly series airing on PBS Monday nights at 10:00 PM. The acclaimed series, with Lois Vossen as executive producer, features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by ITVS, the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding from PBS, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

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