PBS International to Rep Faces of America

BOSTON: PBS International has taken on the worldwide distribution rights to the four-part series Faces of America, which looks at the family histories of 12 noted Americans, including Meryl Streep and Yo-Yo Ma.

Presented by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the PBS series uses the latest scientific tools to map out the genealogy of, among others, actress Meryl Streep, Her Majesty Queen Noor, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, musician Yo-Yo Ma, actress Eva Longoria, chef Mario Batali, and professor and poet Elizabeth Alexander, among others. Each underwent genotyping to trace his or her father and mother’s ancestry.

“The recent release of this series on PBS and our ability to immediately offer it to the international marketplace comes at an opportune time when buyers are looking for genealogy-based programs.” said Tom Koch, VP of PBS International, “We’re pleased that our affiliation with PBS allows us to represent the network’s blue-chip programming.”

The series is a production of Kunhardt McGee Productions, Inkwell Films and THIRTEEN for WNET.ORG in association with Ark Media.