Experience Burns’s new six-part epic on the big screen February 1st through March 8th, 2026
Sag Harbor, NY – Sag Harbor Cinema will host free, weekly screenings of The American Revolution, a new documentary by renowned filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt. Each of the six episodes will be shown sequentially on Sundays, starting February 1, 2026. The screenings will be held in collaboration with the Sag Harbor Historical Museum and will be free to the public.
Created for PBS, and nearly a decade in the works, The American Revolution traces the ideals of freedom and democracy that led to the founding of the United States, in all its complexities and contradictions. The filmmakers use a rich, dynamic mix of period art, animated maps, dramatic reconstructions, voice-over narratives and drone shots to explore in dramatic, engrossing detail the nation’s early history and to suggest how the founders’ aspirations – met and unmet – continue to shape America.
Peter Coyote provides the main narration. Among the other actors whose voices are featured in the project are: Kenneth Branagh, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Morgan Freeman, Paul Giamatti, Tom Hanks, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Tracy Letts, Laura Linney, David Oyelowo, Mandy Patinkin, Liev Schreiber and Meryl Streep.
The Cinema is very grateful to Ken Burns and PBS for giving us the opportunity to share this riveting, thought provoking work in our theatre. Further details about co-director Sarah Botstein’s appearance for a post-screening Q&A will be announced soon.
The screening of The American Revolution will be the first of a series of programs organized by the Cinema leading to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.
Burns’s previous works include Oscar-nominated features Brooklyn Bridge (1982) and The Statue of Liberty (1985), and series The Civil War (1990), Emmy Award-winning Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), The War (2007), Emmy Award-winning The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (2009), Prohibition (2011), The Roosevelts (2014), The Vietnam War (2017), and Country Music (2019).
‘The American Revolution’ will play in six parts on Sundays from February 1st through March 8th, 2026. Screenings are offered free on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is highly suggested and available at the box office or at sagharborcinema.org
——
ABOUT THE SERIES
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION is a production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C. Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Produced by Sarah Botstein, David Schmidt, Salimah El-Amin and Ken Burns. Edited by Tricia Reidy, Maya Mumma, Charles E. Horton, and Craig Mellish. Co-Produced by Megan Ruffe and Mike Welt. Cinematography by Buddy Squires. Narrated by Peter Coyote. The executive in charge for WETA was John F. Wilson (who passed away in November of 2024). Executive producer is Ken Burns.
Corporate funding for The American Revolution was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for The American Revolution was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. The American Revolution was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The film examines how America’s founding turned the world upside-down. Thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose in rebellion, won their independence, and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent and inspired centuries of democratic movements around the globe.
An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who lived it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
The Revolution began a movement for people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, their nations, and for humanity. It declared American independence with promises that we continue to strive for. The American Revolution opened the door to advance civil liberties and human rights, and it asked questions that we are still trying to answer today.
EPISODE GUIDE
EPISODE ONE: IN ORDER TO BE FREE (MAY 1754 – MAY 1775)
Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, & David Schmidt
USA | 2025 | 116 mins | English
American colonists oppose efforts by the British Crown and Parliament to seize greater control in North America, escalating simmering tensions over land, taxes, and sovereignty into violent confrontation. After protestors dump tea in Boston Harbor, the British government enacts martial law in Massachusetts. Fighting at Lexington and Concord ignites a war that will last eight years.
*PLAYS FEBRUARY 1, 2026 AT 11AM
—
EPISODE TWO: AN ASYLUM FOR MANKIND (MAY 1775 – JULY 1776)
Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, & David Schmidt
USA | 2025 | 124 mins | English
New Englanders rush to surround the British Army in Boston, but as war begins, Americans find themselves sharply divided. After the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, George Washington of Virginia arrives to command the newly created Continental Army. In July 1776, the Continental Congress issues the Declaration of Independence, insisting on the people’s right to resist tyranny and govern themselves.
*PLAYS FEBRUARY 8, 2026 AT 11AM
—
EPISODE THREE: THE TIMES THAT TRY MEN’S SOULS (JULY 1776 – JANUARY 1777)
Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, & David Schmidt
USA | 2025 | 114 mins | English
The Revolution, now a war for American independence, faces its toughest challenge yet as General Washington tries to defend New York City from invasion by sea. The resulting Battle of Long Island is a huge defeat for the Americans, who narrowly escape and spend the next several months on the run. In late December, Washington’s army regroups and prepares to attack an outpost in Trenton, New Jersey.
*PLAYS FEBRUARY 15, 2026 – TIME TBD
—
EPISODE FOUR: CONQUER BY A DRAWN GAME (JANUARY 1777 – FEBRUARY 1778)
Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, & David Schmidt
USA | 2025 | 115 mins | English
As America braces for a third year of devastating war, British commanders launch campaigns to take Albany and Philadelphia. General Howe beats General Washington at Brandywine and Germantown, while the Continental Congress flees Philadelphia. But the Americans’ surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga opens the door for France to officially support the United States.
*PLAYS FEBRUARY 22, 2026 – TIME TBD
—
EPISODE FIVE: THE SOUL OF ALL AMERICA (DECEMBER 1777 – MAY 1780)
Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, & David Schmidt
USA | 2025 | 113 mins | English
Washington’s Continental Army emerges from the harsh winter at Valley Forge to fight the British Army in the inconclusive Battle of Monmouth. But the alliance with France changes the war and moves it to other theaters. Navies battle off England’s coast and in the Caribbean, while armies advance into Indian Country and the southern states. Together, the British Army and Navy capture Charleston.
*PLAYS MARCH 1, 2026 – TIME TBD
—
EPISODE SIX: THE MOST SACRED THING (MAY 1780 – ONWARD)
Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, & David Schmidt
USA | 2025 | 130 mins | English
The British Army under General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states. Meanwhile, one of the most respected American generals betrays the cause and defects to the British. Supported by the French Army and Navy, Washington’s Continental Army wins the decisive victory at Yorktown. Peace is restored, independence is won, and Americans aspire for a more perfect union.
*PLAYS MARCH 8, 2026 – TIME TBD
——
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
KEN BURNS (Executive Producer/Director/Producer) began making films nearly four decades ago with his Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge. A December 2002 poll conducted by Real Screen Magazine listed Burns’s landmark series, The Civil War, as second only to Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North as the “most influential documentary of all time,” and named Ken Burns and Robert Flaherty as the “most influential documentary filmmakers” of all time. In September 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, he was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
SARAH BOTSTEIN (Director/Producer) Sarah Botstein has produced some of the most popular and acclaimed documentaries on PBS, and she is currently co-directing The American Revolution with Ken Burns and David Schmidt. Her previous work with Ken Burns and Lynn Novick includes Jazz, The War, Prohibition, The Vietnam War, College Behind Bars, and Hemingway. The U.S. and the Holocaust marked Botstein’s debut as a co-director. In addition to The American Revolution, Botstein is also working on a series about Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. Botstein works closely with PBS LearningMedia and WETA to develop educational materials as part of the Ken Burns Classroom, and she was an original contributor to Ken Burns’s UNUM, a web-based platform that highlights historical themes across the Florentine Films body of work.
DAVID SCHMIDT (Director/Producer) David Schmidt has spent his entire career at Florentine Films, beginning as an intern and rising within the company to senior producer on Benjamin Franklin. With Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, he is currently producing and directing The American Revolution. Schmidt began working with the company as a researcher and apprentice editor for The Roosevelts, while also supervising the documentary’s seven-episode script. His research on The Vietnam War won him the Jane Mercer Footage Researcher of the Year award, and he also worked closely on that project with writer Geoffrey C. Ward and helped coordinate postproduction. Schmidt has contributed to several other films as well, including as an advisor to Country Music, Hemingway, Muhammad Ali, and The U.S. and the Holocaust.
# # #
About Sag Harbor Cinema
As a not-for-profit 501(c)3, community-based organization, Sag Harbor Cinema is dedicated to presenting the past, present and future of the Movies and to preserving and educating about films, filmmaking, and the film-going experience in its three state-of-the-art theaters. The Cinema engages its audiences and the community year-round through dialogue, discovery, and appreciation of the moving image – from blockbusters to student shorts and everything in between. Revitalized and reimagined through unprecedented community efforts to rebuild the iconic Main Street structure after a fire nearly destroyed it in 2016, SHC continues a long historic tradition of entertainment in the heart of Sag Harbor Village.
About PBSPBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 42 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 15 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, and 56 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X (formerly Twitter).