A new episode of the American Masters series, In the Making, will follow Camille A. Brown, the 5-
time Tony-nominated director and choreographer of Broadway’s Gypsy and Hell’s Kitchen. The third season of the show focuses on eight artists across a variety of disciplines whose work explores and influences American culture today. The series will premiere on PBS on Tuesday, May 6, beginning with Brown's episode.
Camille A. Brown: Giant Steps follows the director and choreographer as she elevates the possible with bold explorations of everyday movement and African Diasporic dance. The film, co-directed by Shellée Haynesworth and Michelle Parkerson, foregrounds Brown’s visionary talent – affirming urban youth, Black female identity, and community power — from her Queens, New York neighborhood to the Broadway stage, television and movie screens, and schools around the world. Brown has just been nominated for her work in Gypsy, now playing at the Majestic Theatre. Watch the trailer for the series below.
Sarah Thankam Mathews: After All This, dir. Andrew Nadkarni
After All This profiles the author as pressure mounts to follow up her highly acclaimed debut novel. The film follows Thankam Mathews as she excavates her past in India and Oman, contends with her present as a rising literary star, and imagines new futures of immigration, justice, and community.
Gioncarlo Valentine: Exposures, dir. Zeshawn Ali
In Exposures, Valentine’s lush and tender photography is on full display.
The film explores how documented intimacy is a radical act of self-exploration for Gioncarlo as he leaves behind a formative chapter of his life, turning the lens inward as he searches for home.
Danielle Scott: Ancestral Call, dirs. Sonia Kennebeck and Tetiana Anderson
Ancestral Call follows the multi-racial, mixed-media artist as she risks her own well-being by exposing herself to the intergenerational trauma of the Atlantic Slave Trade. She traces her ancestors’ lives for a greater purpose: creating art that exposes the wretched pain and intense beauty of the era while guiding her audience through an experiential journey.
Norman Teague: Love Reigns Supreme, dir. Adewole A. Abioye
Love Reigns Supreme follows the furniture maker and conceptual artist as he prepares for a solo exhibition while confronting the existential crisis facing Black youth through his work and mentorship.
House of Aama: Threads of Legacy, dir. Jamal Ademola
Threads of Legacy explores the unique creative process and familial narrative behind the acclaimed fashion label House of Aama, led by Akua Shabaka and her mother, Rebecca Henry. The film delves into their creative process and spiritual approach to fashion, anchored in personal archives, Black folklore, and storytelling.
Edel Rodriguez: Freedom is a Verb, dirs. Mecky Creus and Adrienne Hall
Freedom is a Verb is a portrait of the Cuban-American graphic artist and graphic novelist, offering a vivid exploration of his journey from his early life in Cuba to acclaim in the United States. This visual and immersive documentary intimately connects the viewer with Rodriguez’s iconic artwork and the relentless pursuit of freedom that defines his life and work.
Maryam Taghavi: Estranged Letters, dir. Assia Boundaoui
Estranged Letters follows the Iranian-American in the lead-up to her first major solo exhibition. Her abstracted work on perspective and the Islamic occult has coalesced into a series of sculptures and paintings that strive to signify the unseen and grapple with the immutable distance of migration.
The full slate of In the Making Season 3 films premiered in a special program at the 2024 DOC NYC Festival. Films from previous seasons have garnered Webby, Telly, and Regional Emmy® Awards, as well as multiple nominations from the NAACP Image Awards.
Camille A. Brown Photo by Josefina Santos.
