“I Can Tell the World” documentary tells the story of the roots of American Music

Rocky Mountain PBS Offers a Free Screening of “I Can Tell the World”

A new documentary feature film by Larry Bograd and Coleen Hubbard

February 9, 6:300-pm

Davis Auditorium, University of Denver
2000 E Asbury Ave
Denver, CO 80208

Rocky Mountain PBS presents a unique opportunity to experience the first documentary about the original American music.

Without spirituals, there would be no gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, or hip-hop and rap. And though many of us are familiar with some of the songs, few of us fully understand the deep history, complex origins and coded messages of the music born in slavery.

Produced and co-directed by Coleen Hubbard and Larry Bograd for Denver's Roundtable Media, the film follows members of The Spirituals Project Choir, an interracial, multigenerational ensemble committed to the preservation and performance of African American spirituals.

This diverse group of men and women share their stories of transformation and offer lessons in racial reconciliation. In addition to following choir members, the documentary includes rarely seen performances by Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson, and the observations of African American scholars.

“I Can Tell the World” is the first completed production by Roundtable Media, LLP, which has two other documentaries in production.

There will be a post-panel "talk back," featuring the filmmakers Larry Bograd and Coleen Hubbard and founder Art Jones.

MORE INFORMATION:

• Learn more about the event at the Rocky Mountain PBS Community Calendar
• View the trailer at the I Can Tell the World documentary website

The film airs on Rocky Mountain PBS on Feb. 11 and will be released commercially on April 20, 2010.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS

Rocky Mountain PBS invites the 1.3 million people throughout Colorado we reach each month to experience the world of award-winning local, national and international programming; hear diverse viewpoints; take front row center seats to world-class drama and performances; and enjoy lifelong learning services for children and adults.

Rocky Mountain PBS is celebrating its 53rd anniversary on the air this year. The network began in Denver in 1956 as Colorado’s first public television station. It is now Colorado’s only statewide television network, with stations in Denver (KRMA), Pueblo/Colorado Springs (KTSC), Steamboat Springs (KRMZ), Grand Junction (KRMJ) and Durango (KRMU). To learn more, visit the Rocky Mountain PBS website.

THE SPIRITUALS PROJECT

The Spirituals Project is a non-profit organization based at the University of Denver dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the music and teachings of the sacred folk songs called spirituals, created and first sung by enslaved Africans in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Through research, education and performance, The Spirituals Project explores the many, varied dimensions of African American spirituals as art form, tradition and tool, and invites all people to experience the joy and power of this dynamic music and gift from African Americans to the world, thereby ensuring that the spirituals will be passed on for many generations to come.