Muna Abdallah and friends perform in Beats of the Antonov. Credit: hajooj kuka

Vince Lombardi famously said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” The films in the new season of PBS’s award-winning documentary series POV (Point of View) introduce extraordinarily strong and determined individuals who transform themselves and their communities. The new season of POV begins on Monday, June 22 on PBS and continues through Friday, Oct. 2. 

POV’s schedule from June 22- Aug. 3 follows. All programs air on Mondays at 10 p.m. (check local listings). 

Monday, June 22:  Out in the Night  by blair dorosh-walther 
In a case that made headlines, African-American lesbians fought back against a threatening man and were charged with assault and attempted murder. Out in the Night delves below surface sensationalism to examine race, gender and sexuality in our justice system. Simulcast on Logo TV. A co-production of ITVS. A co-presentation with the National Black Programming Consortium.

Monday, June 29: The Overnighters by Jesse Moss
Chasing the American Dream, thousands of workers flock to a North Dakota town where the oil business is booming. But instead of well-paying jobs, many find slim work prospects and a housing shortage. Pastor Jay Reinke converts his church into a makeshift dorm and counseling center, allowing hundreds of men, some with checkered pasts, to stay. When opposition to the “overnighters” reaches a boiling point, Pastor Jay makes a life-altering decision. A modern-dayGrapes of Wrath, The Overnighters tells an electrifying story about the promise of redemption and the limits of compassion. Winner, Special Jury Award for Intuitive Filmmaking: Documentary, 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

Airing with The Overnighters are two StoryCorps  animated shorts A More Perfect Union and The Last Viewing, along with Theo Rigby and Kate McLean’s The Caretaker.

Monday, July 6: Tough Love   by Stephanie Wang-Breal
What makes a good parent? How do you prove you are responsible after you’ve been deemed unfit? Having lost custody of their children to Child Protective Services, two parents—one in New York City and one in Seattle—fight to win back the trust of the courts and reunite their families. Acknowledging their past parenting mistakes due to poverty, poor choices and addiction, both Hannah and Patrick contend with a complex bureaucracy to prove they deserve a second chance. A co-production of ITVS. A co-presentation with the Center for Asian American Media.

Monday, July 13: Web Junkie by Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia
Internet addiction has been declared a national health crisis in China, the first country in the world to classify this evolving diagnosis. Web Junkie follows the treatment of three Chinese teenagers, obsessive gamers whose preference for the virtual world over the real one is summed up in one jarring statement: “Reality is too fake.” Israeli filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia gained extraordinary access to a military-style rehab program in Beijing, illuminating a process that, while stern, may help set a standard as the wider world comes to grips with the devastating consequences of excessive Internet use. Official Selection of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
 
Monday, July 20: Return to Homs by Talal Derki
War changes people, including 19-year-old Basset Saroot, who went from star goalkeeper for the Syrian national soccer team to peaceful advocate for Arab Spring reforms to armed insurgent.Return to Homs is a heart-stopping study of the brutal war President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has waged against the Syrian people—a war fought mostly out of camera range that has produced epic heroism and tragedy. Winner, 2014 Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, and the first George Polk Documentary Film Award.
 
Monday, July 27: Tea Time by Maite Alberdi
Ritual is often associated with powerful and impersonal institutions, but for five Chilean women, it centers on a monthly gathering that has sustained them through 60 years of personal and societal change. Tea Time is a poignant look at how a seemingly mundane routine of tea and pastries has helped the well-heeled participants commemorate life’s joys and cope with infidelity, illness and death. The film illuminates a beautiful paradox: As familiar worlds slip away, friendships grow ever stronger and more profound. A co-production of ITVS International. A co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting. Official Selection of the 2014 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
 
Monday, Aug. 3: Beats of the Antonov by hajooj kuka
Sudan has been in an almost constant state of civil war since it achieved independence in 1956, and it split into a pair of sovereign states in 2011. On the border between the two, Russian-made Antonov planes indiscriminately drop bombs on settlements in the Nuba Mountains below. Yet, incredibly, the people of the Blue Nile respond to adversity with music, singing and dancing to celebrate their survival. Beats of the Antonov explores how music binds a community together, offering hope and a common identity. Winner, Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award, 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

See the entire schedule here.