Hi Everyone,
This week we’re taking a deep dive into documentaries, the films that tell our stories and highlight the world around us. Discover films that will surprise you, inform you, and inspire you.
Yours in media,
Elizabeth He, Visual Communications Editor
P.S. Wondering what to watch this week? Visit gbh.org/explore to find a printable primetime schedule. Don’t miss tomorrow’s NOVA premiere of Operation Space Station at 9pm on GBH 2.
This is a web edition of GBH's The Deep Dive, a weekly newsletter bringing you the best GBH has to offer.
Local Lens
Presenting Stories from New England (article)
GBH’s Local Lens series showcases local stories and local filmmakers. Meet the programmers.
The Local Lens spotlight page has some great films you can watch right now.
A Boston (R)Evolution (1 hour, 25 min film)
It’s Election Day and we’re remembering Boston’s historic 2021 mayoral race. All the top candidates were non-White women. Politics not as usual?
Local Films from GBH News
GBH develops its own local documentaries telling stories that need to be told and elevating and amplifying local voices.
Don’t Judge Me (26 min film)
What’s it like to go to jail at age 16 and then — 12 years later — return home. Will Onyx be able to start over?
Never Cried (24 min film)
Two sisters were teenagers when they were bused from their predominantly Black neighborhood of Roxbury to the White, working-class area of South Boston in 1974. See how that experience continues to impact their lives.
Living in Pryde (38 min film)
The Pryde is New England’s first affordable senior living community geared toward LGBTQ+ elders. Is this residence a target or a refuge...or both?
Films About Places You Know
The Highest Standard (1 hr, 30 min film)
Three Boston-area middle schoolers make the leap from public school to a program aimed at helping them access the best private high schools in the country. What did they gain and what did they lose?
Local, USA: Inundation District (1 hr, 30 min film)
Boston’s Seaport district cost billions and was built on landfill, at sea level. Can this project stay above water?
Recovery City (1 hr, 26 min film)
This documentary presents the addiction and recovery stories of four women. See how they tackle what comes next.
Pony Boys (25 min film)
In 1967, two boys decide to travel alone from Needham to Montreal by pony cart to attend the World’s Fair. What THEY did on their summer vacation.
MORE Local Programs to Enjoy
GBH News Rooted (10 min clip)
Hosted by Paris Alston, this weekly series serves up Black intellect, culture, and joy. Dive into local stories with Paris.
Boston Public Radio (29 min clip)
Hosted by Margery Eagan and Jim Braude, this weekday radio program highlights smart local conversation with leaders and thinkers shaping Boston and New England, as in this interview with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
“The Big Dig Podcast” (audio podcast)
This massive highway tunneling effort became a symbol of waste and corruption while still delivering on a promise to transform the city. Hear what host Ian Coss dug up about this project.
GBH Amplifies (30 min episode)
This partnership with local community news leaders elevates the conversations happening in Boston’s neighborhoods and beyond. Get the inside scoop.
Recipe of the Week
Scallion Pancakes from Moveable Feast with Relish (recipe)
Boston-based James Beard award–nominee Irene Li shared this easy-to-make recipe when the show visited our fair city.
Off Topic
- Do you remember the GBH Disco Dazzler? Dance the night away with this throwback. (2 min clip)
- Ever wonder what your pet is thinking? Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis thinks they will someday be able to tell us. (1 hour episode)
- North Shore = Great roast beef sandwiches. Edgar B. Herwick III and comedian Josh Gondelman help us find the best of the best. (13 min clip)
