PBS International gains U.S. distribution rights to ‘Faces of America’

PBS International has gained the worldwide distribution rights to Faces of America a 4x60-minute HD series for PBS. Presented by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. the four-part series uses the latest genealogy and genetics tools to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans. The series features Meryl Streep, Queen Noor, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, musician Yo-Yo Ma, Eva Longoria, chef Mario Batali, as well as noted journalists and authors including poet Elizabeth Alexander who composed and read the poem at U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration. Looking at the ancestral histories of each guest, Faces of America examines the American immigrant experience. The series also makes medical history by documenting the sequencing and interpretation of the full human genome on film for the first time.