Spend a "Weekend in Havanna" via PBS

PBS Distribution announced it will be releasing “WEEKEND IN HAVANA.” Travel with host Geoffrey Baer to explore the heart of Cuba’s magical capital city, now open to Americans after more than 50 years. Three young locals — architect and restorationist Daniel de la Regata; Irene Rodriguez, one of Cuba’s top flamenco dancers; and Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca — serve as enthusiastic guides, allowing viewers to experience this vibrant and historic place through the eyes of those who love it and call it home. Produced by WTTW Chicago, directed by Leo Eaton, co-written by Eaton and Geoffrey Baer, and produced by Donn Rogosin, Dan Soles and Hugo Perez

“WEEKEND IN HAVANA” will be available on DVD July 25, 2017. The run time of the program is approximately 60 minutes on 1 disc, and has an SRP of $24.99. The program will also be available for digital download.

Geoffrey, host of the PBS series 10 THAT CHANGED AMERICA about game-changing buildings, homes, parks, and towns as well as more than 20 specials on Chicago history and architecture, takes to the streets of Havana with his guides and new fast friends, Daniel, Irene, and Roberto. After meeting up at a café in Cathedral Plaza in Old Havana, he is given a whirlwind tour of Cuba’s fascinating and colorful history, a hands-on introduction to Afro-Cuban music and dance, a primer on Havana’s varied architecture and efforts being made to restore many of the city’s ruins, and an inside look at how everyday Cubans live in this “old city trying to find its place in the modern world,” a land off-limits to Americans for decades.

Ken Burns' The Vietnam War on DVD/BD in September

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing the new documentary series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick THE VIETNAM WAR on DVD and Blu-ray September 19, 2017, coinciding with its PBS airing. In an immersive narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. THE VIETNAM WAR features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.

Ten years in the making, the series brings the war and the chaotic epoch it encompassed viscerally to life. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward, produced by Sarah Botstein, Novick and Burns, it includes rarely seen, digitally re-mastered archival footage from sources around the globe, photographs taken by some of the most celebrated photojournalists of the 20th century, historic television broadcasts, evocative home movies, and revelatory audio recordings from inside the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations.

The run time of the program is approximately 1080 minutes on 10 discs. The SRP for the DVD is $99.99 and $129.99 for Blu-ray. There are over 100 minutes of extra bonus footage, including a 45-minute preview program, 2 pieces on contemporary lives of 2 of the participants, and bonus content. The program will also be available for digital download.

The Fish on My Plate on DVD from PBS

PBS Distribution announced it will release “FRONTLINE: The Fish on My Plate” on DVD. Paul Greenberg (Four Fish; American Catch) sets out to answer. As part of his quest to investigate the health of the ocean — and his own — Greenberg spends a year eating seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a journey that’s brought to life in this documentary produced by Neil Docherty, David Fanning and Sarah Spinks.

 “FRONTLINE: The Fish on My Plate” will be available on DVD July 4, 2017. The run time of the program is approximately 60 minutes and the SRP is $24.99.

“What fish should I eat that’s good for me and good for the planet?” That’s the question bestselling author and lifelong fisherman

The program chronicles Greenberg as he works on his upcoming book, The Omega Principle — and consumes over 700 fish meals in hopes of improving his health through a dramatic increase in his Omega-3 levels.

Masterpiece: King Charles III to DVD on June 27

PBS Distribution announced they will be releasing “MASTERPIECE: KING CHARLES III” on DVD.   A willful king ... a prophetic ghost ... family betrayals ... revenge! It sounds like a play by Shakespeare, but it’s a drama about the future. MASTERPIECE presents an adaptation of the Tony-nominated hit Broadway show King Charles III, starring the late Tim Pigott-Smith (The Jewel in the Crown, Downton Abbey) as Prince Charles after his accession to the throne, sometime in the years ahead. “KING CHARLES III” is a co-production with the BBC.

“KING CHARLES III” will be available on DVD June 27, 2017. The run time of the program is approximately 90 minutes and the SRP is $29.99. 

Mr. Pigott-Smith, who died unexpectedly on April 7th, had appeared in several MASTERPIECE productions, including The Jewel in the Crown and most recently Downton Abbey. MASTERPIECE Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton commented, “The MASTERPIECE family is heartbroken at the loss of Tim Pigott-Smith, a wonderful actor and a warm and charming man. We are going to miss him.” King Charles III playwright Mike Bartlett remembered him as “one of the real greats, both as an actor and a man.” 

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW Seasons 1,2&3 Coming to DVD

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW” on DVD.  “SEASON 1” “SEASON 2” and “SEASON 3” will all be available via B&T. Renowned British bakers Mary Berry, the U.K.’s “doyenne of baking” and a leading cookbook author, and Paul Hollywood, one of the country’s top artisan bakers, serve as the series’ judges. Together with hosts and comic foils Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, Berry and Hollywood search for the country’s best amateur bakers by testing competitors’ skills on cakes, breads, pastries and desserts of all kinds, ultimately crowning a winner after 10 weeks of competition. The series is produced by the award-winning, U.K. - based Love Productions. The U.K. series became the highest-rated food show ever made in Britain.

“THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW SEASONS 1, 2 AND 3” will be available on DVD April 11, 2017. Each season has a run time of approximately 600 min on 3 discs, and has a DVD SRP of $19.99. All three seasons are also available for digital download.

The program follows the trials and tribulations of 12 passionate amateurs whose goal is to be named the U.K.’s best. Each week, the bakers from diverse backgrounds tackle a different skill, the difficulty of which increases as the competition unfolds. In each episode, the challenges come in three categories: a Signature Bake that tests the bakers’ personality, creative flair and baking ability; a Technical Bake, in which all bakers are given the same basic recipe, with ingredients and minimal instructions; and the Showstopper Bake, in which the competitors must display refined depths of skill and talent. PBS will present BBC’s fourth season of the series, which received both critical and audience acclaim in the U.K. for its quick pace, lively comedic tone and competitor diversity.  

The series was created by Anna Beattie and Richard McKerrow. Executive producer is Anna Beattie.

PBS Releases American Epic on June 13

From executive producers T Bone Burnett, Robert Redford and Jack White, go inside one of the greatest-ever untold stories: how the ordinary people of America were given the opportunity to make records for the first time. Contains four episodes: The Big Bang; Blood & Soil; Out of the Many, The One; The American Epic Sessions.  Blu-ray and DVD on June 13

John Lewis- Get in the Way on DVD april 18

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “JOHN LEWIS – GET IN THE WAY” for home entertainment on DVD. This is the first documentary biography of Lewis, whose unwavering fight for justice spans the past 50 years. The son of sharecroppers, Lewis grew up in rural isolation, seemingly destined for a bleak future in the Jim Crow South. But Lewis took a different path, rising from Alabama’s Black Belt to the corridors of power on Capitol Hill, his humble origins forever linking him to those whose voices often go unheard.

“JOHN LEWIS – GET IN THE WAY ” will be available on April 18, 2017. The run time of the DVD is approximately 60 minutes and its SRP is $24.99.

The program covers more than half a century, tracing Lewis’ journey of courage, confrontation and hard-won triumphs. At the age of 15, his life changed forever when he heard Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the radio. It was 1955, during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Lewis listened with rapt attention as the young preacher called for nonviolent resistance to the harsh injustice of segregation. Lewis embraced Dr. King’s spiritual call with a fervor that would transform the course of his life.

PBS Distribution Sets Date for “MASTERPIECE: TO WALK INVISIBLE: THE BRONTË SISTERS Release

PBS Distribution announced today it will be releasing “MASTERPIECE: TO WALK INVISIBLE: THE BRONTË SISTERS” on DVD and Blu-ray.  Ever since they were revealed to the world as

quaint country-women and not the notorious Bell brothers of their pseudonyms, the Brontë sisters have fascinated legions of devoted readers. This program brings these remarkable literary geniuses to life in this beautifully filmed and acted drama.

Written and directed by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax), the program makes a perfect companion to MASTERPIECE’s past adaptations of Brontë novels: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1997, Peabody Award), Wuthering Heights (1998 and 2009), and Jane Eyre (2007, three Primetime Emmys).

“TO WALK INVISIBLE” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray April 11, 2017. The run time of the program is approximately 120 minutes on 1 disc. The DVD SRP is $29.99 and the Blu-ray SRP is $34.99. Depicting the evolution of secluded, dutiful clergyman’s daughters into authors of the most controversial fiction of the 1840s, the drama stars Finn Atkins (Eden Lake) as Charlotte, who shocked society with her edgy epic, Jane Eyre; Chloe Pirrie (War and Peace) as Emily, author of the darkly gothic and disturbing Wuthering Heights; and Charlie Murphy (Happy Valley) as Anne, whose true-to-life love story The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was deemed “coarse and disgusting” by Victorian critics.

Live from Lincoln Center: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel Set for February Release

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “Live From Lincoln Center: Rodgers &

Hammerstein's Carousel” on DVD. Live From Lincoln Center presents the New York Philharmonic’s staged production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s iconic American musical, featuring a star-studded cast including 4 Tony Award winners, Kelli O'Hara, Shuler Hensley, Jessie Mueller, John Cullum as well as Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Jason Danieley, Kate Burton, and New York City Ballet principal dancers Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck.

“Live From Lincoln Center: Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel” will be available on DVD February 28, 2017. The run time of the program is approximately 150 minutes and the SRP is $24.99.

Now a beloved classic, Carousel—with music by Richard Rodgers and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II—was hailed by Time Magazine as “the best musical of the 20th Century.” Based on Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play, Liliom, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel transfers the story from Europe to the Maine coastline and revolves around the tragic romance between carousel barker Billy Bigelow and mill worker Julie Jordan. The musical includes such highlights as “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

PBS Distribution Sets "Masterpiece: Victoria" DVD/BD Release

PBS Distribution announced today it will be releasing “MASTERPIECE: VICTORIA” on DVD and Blu-ray. Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) stars as the young Queen Victoria at the outset of her epic reign, which set the stage for an entire era that would be named in her honor. Scripted by bestselling novelist Daisy Goodwin (The Fortune Hunter) the series follows Victoria from her accession to the throne at age 18, through her education in politics, courtship and marriage, “VICTORIA” paints a portrait of a monarch who was raised to be the pawn of her powerful elders but who wasted no time in showing the empire who was in charge.

“VICTORIA” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray January 31, 2017. The run time of the program is approximately 480 minutes on 3 discs. The DVD SRP is $49.99 and the Blu-ray SRP is $59.99. The program will also be available for digital download.

The stellar cast includes Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle) as Lord Melbourne, the British prime minister who was Victoria’s father figure and intimate friend; Tom Hughes (Dancing on the Edge) as the handsome, brilliant and awkward Prince Albert, who stole Victoria’s heart after a rocky start; and Alex Jennings (Churchill’s Secret) as Leopold I, King of Belgium, Victoria and Albert’s matchmaking uncle who had dreams of a dynasty for his obscure royal line—which he amazingly achieved.

NATURE: THE STORY OF CATS” to DVD/BD in December

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “NATURE: THE STORY OF CATS” on DVD and Blu-ray. Cats are one of the most diverse and studied mammals in the world, yet only now is their real identity being understood. Evolutionary tricks and adaptations have contributed to their successful survival. In fact, all 37 species of the cat family behave similarly in the way they hunt, utilizing flexible spines and sharp teeth to catch their prey. No surprise, then, that they are one of the greatest predators since the dinosaurs and are still evolving.

“NATURE: THE STORY OF CATS ” chronicles the 11 million year history of how the most widespread carnivore on the planet evolved, from their roots in ancient rainforests to today’s popular house cat. The latest discoveries by scientists studying their physiology and behaviors are also incorporated into the series.

 “NATURE: THE STORY OF CATS” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray December 27, 2016. The run time of the program is approximately 120 minutes and the DVD SRP is $24.99 and the Blu-ray SRP 29.99. The program will also be available for digital download.

The first episode, Asia to Africa, shows how the first cats arose in the rainforests of Southeast Asia and moved throughout the continent adjusting to other environments such as high altitudes (snow leopard, Pallas’s cat) and frozen forests (Siberian tigers). The film introduces the most ancient type of cat existing today, the rare clouded leopard, whose genetic blueprint is shared by all cats. Learning how to become ambush predators through play is one of the crucial traits that all young members of the cat family must develop in order to survive in the wild. Cubs of species like the clouded leopard don’t have much time to master these skills before their mother forces them out to find their own territories as solitary predators. It is one of the reasons that around nine million years ago, the ancient tree climbing felines began to fan out all over Asia.

"American Masters — Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You" Premieres 10/25, on DVD/BD Same Day

First Documentary About Legendary Showrunner, American Masters -- Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, Premieres Nationwide Tuesday, October 25 on PBS Available same day on Blu-ray, DVD via PBS Distribution

Features Norman Lear, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler, Mel Brooks, Lena Dunham, Carl and Rob Reiner, Russell Simmons and others.  Largely responsible for the explosion of bold American television in the 1970s, writer/producer Norman Lear's name is synonymous with the sitcom. The first documentary about the 94-year-old television legend, American Masters — Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, premieres nationwide Tuesday, October 25 at 9 pm on PBS (check local listings). PBS Distribution will release the film on Blu-ray, DVD
the same day with additional bonus features.

With unprecedented access to Lear, his work and his massive personal archives, American Masters — Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You combines stories from his turbulent childhood and early career with his groundbreaking TV success (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude) and social activism. The documentary also features colorful stories from Lear's family, friends and collaborators, including John Amos, George Clooney, Alan Horn, Bill Moyers, Rob Reiner, Phil Rosenthal and Russell Simmons, as well as cinéma vérité moments with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler and Lena Dunham Breaking down the fourth wall to create an evocative collage where past and present intermingle, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, 12^th & Delaware, DETROPIA for Independent Lens) reveal a psychologically rich man whose extraordinary contributions emerge from both his personal story and his own self-professed childlike view of the world. Just Another Version of You traces how a poor Jewish kid from Connecticut started writing for The Colgate Comedy Hour with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, created All in the Family and became one of TV's most successful showrunners. All character-driven, with theatrical sets and live audiences, Lear's TV series changed not only the face of national television but the content of national discourse. Bringing provocative subjects like war, poverty and prejudice to 120 million viewers every week, Lear proved that social change was possible through an unlikely prism – laughter – and created some of the greatest moments in television history.
 

From the creator's of Gruffalo Comes "Stick Man" on November 8

Martin Freeman (“The Hobbit,” “Sherlock”) voices Stick Man, Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”)
voices Santa, and the story is narrated by Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous”). Also helping bring Donaldson’s alluring and bouncy rhymes to life in this heartwarming family treasure are Rob Brydon (“The Huntsman: Winter’s War”), Sally Hawkins (“Paddington”) and Russell Tovey (“Being Human”).

In addition to featuring this charming tale, the DVD includes a behind the scenes documentary about the transformation of the delightful book into a captivating film. In this 20 minute video, viewers are treated to a look into how the design of the characters and environments came about, and the creation of the beautiful film score. The documentary also includes wonderful insights from Julia Donaldson, director Jeroen Jaspaert, composer Rene Aubry, and many others.

Anne of Greeen Gables Set for November 8 DVD Release Date

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “L.M. MONTGOMERY’S ANNE OF GREEN GABLES” on DVD.

“L.M. MONTGOMERY’S ANNE OF GREEN GABLES” the classic Lucy Maud Montgomery story tells the tale of Anne Shirley, a precocious young girl taken from an orphanage and placed in the care of the uptight Marilla Cuthbert and her brother, Matthew. The conservative Marilla has a profound effect on the adventurous Anne and creates a journey of learning and personal engagement that has resonated with generations since L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908. The book remains an iconic work of Canadian literature and has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and been translated into 20 languages.

“L.M. MONTGOMERY’S ANNE OF GREEN GABLES” will be available on DVD November 8, 2016. The run time of the program is approximately 90 minutes, and the SRP is $19.99. The program will also be available for digital download.  

Directed by John Kent Harrison and based on the original script by Susan Coyne, this adaptation, filmed in Canada, stars critically acclaimed, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Martin Sheen. Sheen – who has appeared in blockbuster films ranging from Apocalypse Now to The Amazing Spider Man, and played the President of the United States in the multi-Emmy Award winning series “The West Wing” – portrays Matthew Cuthbert, one half of the brother-sister couple who care for Anne Shirley.

"Building Star Trek" Out on DVD November 1 from PBS

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing the Smithsonian Channel original special “BUILDING STAR TREK” on DVD. When Star Trek debuted on September 8, 1966, the world was introduced to a number of alien concepts, such as hand-held communication devices, desktop computers, space shuttles, touch screens, and more. Star Trek’s visionary creator Gene Roddenberry conceived of a world so unique that the series would go on to have a profound legacy in television history.

“BUILDING STAR TREK” follows the conservation team from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, led by Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, as they attempt to restore and conserve the original 11-foot, 250-pound model of the U.S.S. Enterprise from the original series. The program also tracks the progress of Brooks Peck, the charismatic curator of Seattle’s EMP Museum, as he attempts to rebuild a model of the original U.S.S. Enterprise’s bridge by using authentic set pieces and props.

 “BUILDING STAR TREK” will be available on DVD November 1, 2016. The run time of the program is approximately 92 minutes, and the SRP is $19.99.

Royal Wives at War, on dvd October 18

PBS Distribution announced today it will release “ROYAL WIVES AT WAR” on DVD. In a series of dramatized monologues set in 1967, Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Emma Davies, Emmerdale) and Wallis Simpson (Gina McKee, The Borgias) look back at events that led King Edward VIII (Nick Waring, The Merchant of Venice) to give up the throne for the woman he loved. Combining dramatic reconstructions, archives and a chorus of acquaintances and biographers, ROYAL WIVES AT WAR tells the intimate and moving story of two strong women and the friction that characterized their relationship.

 

ROYAL WIVES explores not only the scandalous love story, but also the emotional impact of the post-abdication fallout: how Wallis regretted a marriage she now couldn’t avoid and how Elizabeth, miserable at becoming Queen Consort, schemed to ostracize and exile both Edward and Wallis. Upon the outbreak of war, the British government was forced to step in, banishing the Windsors to the then-sleepy backwater of the Bahamas. Elizabeth became the power behind the throne during the war years while Wallis lashed out bitterly from afar. “ROYAL WIVES AT WAR” is a BBC production with PBS.

INDIA: NATURE’S WONDERLAND Releasing on DVD on October 25

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “INDIA: NATURE’S WONDERLAND” on DVD. It’s home to over a billion people. Yet India is a place where you can see animals that exist nowhere else on Earth, where the natural world has been woven into people’s lives and where wilderness still holds strong. Wildlife expert Liz Bonnin, actress Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) and mountaineer Jon Gupta reveal the wonders of India’s natural world. From the Valley of the Flowers in West Himalaya and turtles hatching on the beaches of the east coast to the lions of the Gir forest, “India: Nature’s Wonderland” reveals a land packed full of unrivalled wildlife experiences.

“INDIA: NATURE’S WONDERLAND” will be available on DVD October 25, 2016. The run time of the program is approximately 120 minutes and the SRP is $24.99.

Below are descriptions for each of the two parts included on the DVD.
Part 1
Liz Bonnin visits the Gir Forest, home to the world's last Asiatic lions, where she witness two females hunting, before watching elephants walking through a tea plantation. Freida meets a man who has dedicated his life to the Hoolock gibbon, India's only ape, which starts the morning by singing. Jon climbs into the Himalayas and stops off at Debprayag to bathe in the sacred waters at a holy place where the River Ganges begins.

 Part 2
Every winter morning the desert town of Khichan is invaded by thousands of Demoiselle Cranes. Liz can hardly believe the number of birds. Freida needs to ride on an elephant to get close to one of India’s rarest sights – the One Horned Rhino. Not only does she get to see one in the tall grass, she also sees its baby. Jon comes down from the mountains to a beach on the Bay of Bengal to witness the mass hatching of Olive Ridley Turtles, more than a million baby turtles will erupt from nests buried in the sand.

“INDIA: NATURE’S WONDERLAND” is a BBC production with PBS.

"AMERICAN MASTERS: NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU" Out on DVD/BD October 25

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “AMERICAN MASTERS: NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU,” the first documentary about the 94-year-old television legend, on DVD and Blu-ray. Largely responsible for the explosion of bold American television in the 1970s, writer/producer Norman Lear’s name is synonymous with the sitcom. 

With unprecedented access to Lear, his work and his massive personal archives, “NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU” combines stories from his turbulent childhood and early career with his groundbreaking TV success (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude) and social activism. The documentary also features colorful stories from Lear’s family, friends and collaborators, including John Amos, George Clooney, Alan Horn, Bill Moyers, Rob Reiner, Phil Rosenthal and Russell Simmons, as well as cinéma vérité moments with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler and Lena Dunham.

“AMERICAN MASTERS: NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray October 25, 2016. The run time of this program is approximately 90 minutes. The DVD SRP is $24.99 and the Blu-ray SRP is $29.99. The DVD and Blu-ray include over 12 minutes of bonus features. The program will also be available for digital download.

Breaking down the fourth wall to create an evocative collage where past and present intermingle, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, 12th & Delaware, DETROPIA for Independent Lens) reveal a psychologically rich man whose extraordinary contributions emerge from both his personal story and his own self-professed childlike view of the world. The documentary traces how a poor Jewish kid from Connecticut started writing for The Colgate Comedy Hour with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, created All in the Family and became one of TV’s most successful showrunners. All character-driven, with theatrical sets and live audiences, Lear’s TV series changed not only the face of national television but the content of national discourse. Bringing provocative subjects like war, poverty and prejudice to 120 million viewers every week, Lear proved that social change was possible through an unlikely prism – laughter – and created some of the greatest moments in television history.

DEFYING THE NAZIS: SHARPS’ WAR” on DVD September 20

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “DEFYING THE NAZIS: SHARPS’ WAR”, a new documentary co-directed by Ken Burns and Artemis Joukowsky on DVD. This is the story of a little-known but important mission by an American minister and his wife to rescue refugees and dissidents in Europe before and after the start of World War II.

“DEFYING THE NAZIS: SHARPS’ WAR” will be available on DVD September 20^th, 2016. The run time of the program is approximately 90 minutes on 1 disc, and the SRP is $24.99. The program will also be available for digital download.   

The film tells the story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp, a Unitarian minister and his wife from Wellesley, Massachusetts, who left their children behind in the care of their parish and boldly committed to multiple life-threatening missions in Europe. Over two dangerous years they helped to save hundreds of imperiled political dissidents and refugees fleeing the Nazi occupation across Europe.

The story is cinematically told through the letters and journals of the Sharps, with Tom Hanks as the voice of Waitstill and Marina Goldman as the voice of Martha. It features firsthand interviews with the now adult children whom the Sharps saved, as well as leading historians, authors and Holocaust scholars, including William Schulz, Deborah Dwork, Modecai Paldiel, Ghanda DiFiglia and Yehuda Bauer.

Things are about to get very odd... With ODD SQUAD: CREATURE ENCOUNTERS from PBS Distribution, on DVD

Things are about to get very odd…! PBS Distribution today announced the release of “ODD SQUAD: CREATURE ENCOUNTERS” on DVD, the latest title from the multiple Emmy-winning live-action PBS KIDS series ODD SQUAD from The Fred Rogers Company. The new DVD, available just in time for Halloween, features five “odd” stories from the popular series, including a special extended adventure called “6:00 to 6:05.”

When it comes to dealing with bizarre situations and unusual creatures, the agents of the Odd Squad are always ready for the challenge. Fans can join agents Olive and Otto as they interrogate a mummy, a unicorn, and a robot that escaped from library books; work to find a powerful weapon capable of defeating the Hydraclops; and travel back in time to prevent dinosaurs from destroying headquarters. Using their wit, courage, and math and problem-solving skills, Olive and Otto work to save the day and set things right!
“CREATURE ENCOUNTERS” will be available on DVD beginning September 13, 2016. The DVD has a run time of approximately 75 minutes and an SRP of $12.99. This stories included within this new DVD are below.

“6:00 to 6:05” (extended adventure)
In this extended adventure, dinosaurs break out of the dinosaur room in Odd Squad headquarters and Olive and Otto must travel back in time to save the day.
“How to Interrogate a Unicorn”
When characters escape their books in the library, Olive and Otto must figure out how and why it’s happening and put a stop to it.

“The Trouble with Centigurps”
When Otto accidentally releases 100 small furry creatures in headquarters, he recruits Oscar to help get them back before Ms. O finds out.

 “Rise of the Hydraclops”
In order to save humanity, Olive and Otto must locate a treasure chest that Oscar buried.

 “Robert Plant”
Olive and Otto must find a way to stop Obfusco’s plant from taking over headquarters.

When the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards were announced earlier this year, ODD SQUAD won four awards, including “Outstanding Writing in a Children’s or Pre-School Children’s Series” and “Outstanding Directing in a Children’s or Pre-School Children’s Series.” 

This live-action series is aimed at helping kids ages 5-8 learn important math and problem-solving skills. ODD SQUAD is created by Tim McKeon and Adam Peltzman and produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and The Fred Rogers Company. The show airs daily on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

ODD SQUAD: CREATURE ENCOUNTERS
Street Date: September 13, 2016
Genre: Kids
Run Time: Approx. 75 Minutes
SRP: $12.99