Films
- DANTE: Inferno to Paradise
- New York: Episodes 9 & 10 (2026)
- Driving While Black (2020)
- Oliver Sacks: His Own Life (2019)
- Made for Each Other (2019)
- The Chinese Exclusion Act (2018)
- VA: The Human Cost of War (2017)
- Debt of Honor: Disabled Veterans in American History (2015)
- The Pilgrims (2015)
- American Ballet Theatre: A History (2015)
- Enquiring Minds: The Untold Story of the Man Behind the National Enquirer (2014)
- Death and the Civil War (2012)
- Into the Deep: America, Whaling and the World (2010)
- We Shall Remain: Tecumseh’s Vision (2009)
- Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film (2006)
- Eugene O’Neill: A Documentary Film (2006)
- Ansel Adams (2002)
- New York: A Documentary Film (1999-2003)
- The Way West (1995)
- The Donner Party (1992)
- Coney Island (1991)
Current Projects
New York: Episodes 9 & 10 (2026)
COMING TO PBS SEPTEMBER 21st & 22nd!
Check local listings at pbs.org or the PBS App
Two exciting new chapters of the award-winning, 17 1/2-hour public television series NEW YORK: A Documentary Film
Shadows of the Past and The Future of Cities explore decades of challenge, growth and change across the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Shadows of the Past, explores the forces that shaped the city in the second half of the 20th century, as New York plunged into the most threatening period of decline and disorder in its history—only to rise again, thanks to a stunning drop in crime, to regain its place at the vanguard of world cities. The episode concludes in the summer of 2001, with New York, now remarkably safe and secure, unaware that a new threat from beyond its borders would soon threaten to undo all the progress of the previous decade.
The Future of Cities begins just after 9/11 and follows New York’s efforts to recover under the new and untested mayoralty of Michael R. Bloomberg. Through rare archival footage and compelling interviews, the episode traces the aftermath of 9/11, the financial crisis of 2008, Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Yet defying the doomsayers, the city also rebuilt itself in these years on a dramatic scale—economically, physically, and demographically—thanks to an astonishing influx of newcomers from around the world. The episode ends with the inauguration of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York in January of 2026.
Narrated by Tony Award-winning actor Robert Sean Leonard, and featuring an original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Brian Keane, Shadows of the Past and The Future of Cities are presented in high-definition 4K video and sound, and feature a combination of original cinematography, archival footage and still photography.
Featuring interviews with leaders in government, academia and journalism, including mayors David Dinkins, Michael R. Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams; and Erik Blutinger; Amanda Burden; Majora Carter; Vishaan Chakrabarti; Steven Corwin; Justin Davidson; Dan Doctoroff; Claudia Romo Edelman; Ian Frazier; Ester Fuchs; Adam Gopnik; Christina Greer; Elizabeth L. Hillman; Kenneth T. Jackson; Michael Kimmelman; Monxo Lopez; Glynnis MacNicol; Jonathan Mahler; Imbolo Mbue; Chris McNickle; Suketu Mehta; Wesley Morris; Mitchell Moss; David Owen; Ernie Paniccioli; Steven Plate; Janette Sadik-Khan; Adam Sobel; Andrew Ross Sorkin; Robert Steel; Dodai Stewart; Ray Suarez; Jack Tchen
Credits
Directed by RIC BURNS Written by JAMES SANDERS and RIC BURNS Produced by LEIGH HOWELL, BONNIE LAFAVE and JAMES SANDERS Edited by PARKER DIXON with CHIH HSUAN LIANG, OMRY MAOZ, MARGARET METZGER, TOM PATTERSON, MICHAEL CRAFT, LI-SHIN YU and JOSHUA WOLTERMANN
Director of Photography BUDDY SQUIRES, A.S.C.
Music by BRIAN KEANE
Narrated by ROBERT SEAN LEONARD
Executive Producers JOHN MOORE, MARGARET MUNZER LOEB, GERALYN WHITE DREYFOUS, JANA EDELBAUM and REGINA K. SCULLY
Executive in Charge for The WNET Group STEPHEN SEGALLER
Corporate funding provided by HUDSON RIVER TRADING
Original Production Funding provided by AMERICAN EXPRESS FOUNDATION, SIMONS FOUNDATION, THE ROSALIND P. WALTER FOUNDATION, GOOGLE.ORG (through THE TIDES FOUNDATION), ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION, ESTATE OF ROLAND KARLEN, ELAINE AND W. WELDON WILSON, THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION, ANGELA AND ROBERT KISSANE, FORD FOUNDATION / JUSTFILMS, ROGER AND SUSAN HERTOG, HENRY LUCE FOUNDATION, CARSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST, THE OVERBROOK FOUNDATION, ARTHUR G. ALTSHUL, JR. AND RULA JEBREAL, FIONA AND ERIC RUDIN, AGNES GUND, HOWARD MORGAN, THE BURTON P. AND JUDITH B. RESNICK FOUNDATION, ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV NV/SA, MR. & MRS. PETER L. MALKIN, LEON AND TOBY COOPERMAN, THE SCHWARTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION, JESSICA & JERRY SEINFELD, MAY AND SAMUEL RUDIN FAMILY FOUNDATION, THE WALENTAS FAMILY FOUNDATION, THE GORMAN FAMILY, RICHARD K. DESCHERER, NATHALIE KAPLAN & DAVID EINHORN, MARCI PANTZER, SUSIE LOPEZ, ELLIN & RON DELSENER, AMY CAPPELLAZZO & JOANNE ROSEN, WENDY CHAIKIN and JONATHAN HAIDT & JAYNE RIEW
A production of Steeplechase Films, Inc. in association with The WNET Group for PBS, in association with Lismore Road and Artemis Rising Foundation
This film is part of a series originally developed with American Experience/GBH