The Story in Us

USA, 2026, 91 min.
PBS SERIES > FRI JUN 26 @ 4PM

Series Includes:

From Front Porches to Feeds

USA, 2025, 12:11 min.

WRITER: Danielle Bainbridge
PROD/DIR: Ciara Ingram
FEATURING: Bryan Roberson, Jeremy K. Simien, Michael Story

In the grand Southern tradition of storytelling, three unique content creators build distinctive digital landscapes from which they can be heard and seen – empowering not just their own voices, but those of their communities as well: Breezy, the empathetic observer; Jeremy, the generous advocate, and Michael, the authentically different outlier.

Threads

USA, 2025, 10:38 min.

WRITER/DIR: Isabel Guayasamin
PRODS: Isabel Guayasamin & Rosa Tuirán
FEATURING: Barbara Teller Ornelas, Tasheena Littleben, Lynda Teller Pete

Honoring their birth right gifted to them from Spider Woman of Navajo tradition, two artisan weavers, Barbara Teller Ornelas and Tasheena Littleben, share their visions of bringing beauty and balance into their lives through their work. For both, weaving is an act of resilience and a divine connection to freedom.

Griot In America

USA, 2025, 10:11 min.

WRITER: Kayla Watkins
DIR: Theo M. Moore II
PRODS: T. Marie King & Theo M. Moore II  
FEATURING: Yacouba Sissoko, Constance Bailey, PhD

Note by note, modern-day West African griot (or d’joli), Yacouba Sissoko, preserves history while creating connections to the past for new generations. As the custodian of oral traditions, genealogy and peace among people, the griot heals through the spiritual music of the instruments n’goni, balafon, and kora.

Deaf Theatre

USA, 2025, 15:56 min.

WRITER: Gaby Wilson
DIR: Benita Ozoude
PRODS: Benita Ozoude & Tamar Price
FEATURING: Daymond Sands, Dale Keterson, Darrell Rodenbaugh

NTPA Deaf Theatre Program Director Daymond Sands creates a showcase as his legacy, to “pass the candle flame” by reaching and inspiring others to become heroes to their own deaf community. In this dynamic storytelling tradition, Sign Language serves as the core of artistic expression, cultural preservation, and resistance.

Women Warriors

USA, 2025, 12:05 min.

WRITER: Tien Nguyen
DIR: Siyi Chen
PRODS: Siyi Chen & Lou Wang-Holborn
FEATURING: Kuangyu Fong,Qi Zhang, Linghui Tu & Chinese Theatre Works performers

A dazzling mix of music, acrobatics, martial arts, and poetry, centuries-old Peking Opera, a type of Chinese Opera, has two vital feminist roles, Wudan and Daomadan – but women were not allowed to portray these two characters nor even watch from the audience until the 20th century. Now, the years-long grueling physical training for women performers at last has a place on stage.

Chicano Theater: The Act of Resistance

USA, 2025, 10:36 min.

WRITER: Maria Victoria Ponce
DIR: Eugenia Renteria
PRODS: Karolina Esqueda & Eugenia Renteria
FEATURING: Cast of La Muerte Baila

The evolution of Chicano Theater, from the farm workers union to theater stages today, goes beyond survival to work as a powerful driver for social change. The highly exaggerated art form, entertaining and fun, rings the bell as a call-to-action through lived experiences, offering hope and liberation alongside cultural pride.

This Fabric Knows

USA, 2025, 8:46 min.

WRITER: Mariana Góngora Reyes
DIR/PROD: Marina Gongóra
FEATURING: Patricia Mayorga, Coloradas de la Virgen Community Members

Moving emotion into action, the Rarámuri of La Sierra, Mexico refuse to let their homeland disappear: The women delicately embroider before-and-after maps of their homes, using their folklore tradition to craft a living memory and preserve their indelible identity. The embroidered maps become the standard-bearers, heralding a future and a return.

Trova Boricua

USA, 2025, 11:09 min.

DIR: Fernando Rocha
PRODS: Ivis M. Negron Pérez & Fernando Rocha
FEATURING: Omar Santiago, Shamira Santiago, Irvin Santiago

“I was born wrapped in poetry” explains Shamira Santiago, who started singing Puerto Rican “trova boricua” when she was only 4 years old. The centuries-old traditional musical genre, featuring 10-line stanzas of improvised poetry speaking to identity, politics and the tensions arising from gentrification, extends far beyond musical expression.