A documentary short film series following emerging cultural icons on their journeys to becoming masters of their artistic disciplines. See how their work explores and influences American culture today.
American Masters and Firelight Media present season four of the documentary short film series In The Making. The new season focuses on eight artists across a variety of disciplines whose work explores and influences American culture today.
Explore the work of New York-based artist Ani Liu as she creates provocative artifacts at the intersection of art, science, and technology. From neuroscience to motherhood, her practice challenges understandings of bodies and gender.
Follow Sudanese musician and ethnomusicologist Alsarah as she leads Alsarah and the Nubatones, a band of immigrants exploring migration’s impact on culture through music — an essential venture amid displacement and an enduring conflict. Premieres March 19, 2026.
Follow Hannah Mayree, musician, banjo maker, and founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, as she organizes workshops and performances celebrating the banjo’s Black history. Premieres April 2, 2026.
Enter the world of trumpeter, composer, educator, and storyteller Lani B. Supreme (Jelani Akil Bauman) as he carries forward a musical legacy that began with his great-great-grandfather before emancipation. Driven by his family’s craft, Bauman’s music celebrates Black creative expression. Premieres April 16, 2026.
Follow Aliah and Kēhau as they take on the male-dominated practice of building Hawaiian hale, traditional thatched structures — a personal and political effort as they reclaim cultural traditions nearly lost to colonial erasure. Premieres April 30, 2026.
Watch as Vietnamese-American poet Cindy Tran creates works that bridge personal memories and shared experiences, reflecting on childhood, parental expectations, and societal stigmas around Asian-American identity. Premieres May 14, 2026.
Follow Warren King as he transforms cardboard into intricate sculptural reflections of his Chinese-American family’s immigration and his path from engineer to artist. Preparing for a Wisconsin homecoming show, King explores belonging through art. Premieres May 28, 2026.
Watch as Oglala Lakota artist, musician, and composer Mato Wayuhi, known for his work on Reservation Dogs, draws on ancestral knowledge to inform his present artistic processes and visions for the future. Premieres June 11, 2026.
.png)
