A Trinidad & Tobago Steelpan Film
Written by Kim Johnson, the 90-minute docudrama, PAN! Our Music Odyssey, is a feature length steelpan film out of Trinidad & Tobago. It is a tale of how the steel drum came to be-and how it came to be so big!
PAN! Our Music Odyssey,” is part of this season’s TV series presented by AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange-the nation’s only documentary series on contemporary art, life and culture across the African Diaspora. This season of AfroPoP is hosted by Jussie Smollett, star of the hit FOX TV show Empire, produced by National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and co-presented by American Public Television (APT).
Panaroma
Since the evolution of Pan — a musical instrument crafted from oil drums as early 1939 and perfected in the 1950s, steelbands have mushroomed in every corner of the planet. Each year, philharmonic orchestras of over 100 musicians come to Trinidad from countries throughout the world to compete for the greatest Pan event: the Panaroma. Pan is the story of the men and women through out the Caribbean and the world who staked all on their art and whose passion and daring has drawn them to the world championships. Their stories are interlaced with re- enactments of the rags-to-riches tale of the steelband movement, which was born in poverty and violence but climbed to the highest levels of social and artistic acceptance without losing its life-or-death urgency.
This evening, Jan. 25, the documentary will be broadcast on many Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) channels at 8pm, EST (5pm PT.). Be sure to check your local listings. If you’re unsure of your PBS channel you can check here: http://worldchannel.org/schedule/localize/.
RCS SIDEBAR: Afropop is NOT carried on either of Atlanta’s PBS Stations. Feel free to write or call Mr. Jason Evans over at PBA30 to express yourself 678-686-0321!
