Sign in

Ken Burns

@kenlburns.bsky.social
14K followers 14 following 38 posts

Making films about history for nearly 50 years.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Ken Burns
UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
At Colgate University last week, President Obama recommended Ken Burns’s THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION as a “quick synopsis” for a course on democracy. We agree.
1356
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM is the best party I’ve ever been to and the well-deserved winner of this year's @librarycongress.bsky.social Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. Looking forward to recognizing the Greaves family in October. Read more here: www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
hollywoodreporter.com
‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ Wins Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film (Exclusive)
The documentary about the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance was shot in 1972 by William Greaves and finished by son David Greaves.
0324
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Geoff Ward and I contributed a piece to the terrific @inpursuitusa.bsky.social project on the American presidency. Optimism is a powerful force for leadership, especially in times of hardship.
1205
Reposted by Ken Burns
In Pursuit USA @inpursuitusa.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Geoffrey C. Ward and @kenlburns.bsky.social write about Franklin D. Roosevelt and the political force of durable optimism. FDR entered office in 1933 with one in four Americans out of work, 9,000 banks failed, and public confidence collapsing.
1133
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
So much of America’s politics and culture revolves around crime and punishment. But the debates we’re having today — about prisons, criminality, victims and justice — are not new. Here’s the trailer for CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN AMERICA, a new film by my colleague Lynn Novick.
15614
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Lonnie Bunch is a great historian, public servant and a dear friend. He has devoted his career to helping us understand the full American story in all its complexity. Our country is better for his work, and I am deeply grateful for it.  www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/a...
nytimes.com
Smithsonian’s Secretary to Resign as Trump Tries to Rule the Institution (Gift Article)
In the face of escalating White House attacks about how museums present American history, Lonnie G. Bunch III has announced his decision to depart.
412545
Reposted by Ken Burns
The Onion @theonion.com · 28/07/2026
Ken Burns Wants You To Watch America: Birth Of A Nation Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cTi_vTwwmU…
692836522
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Worth reading this Karl Rove piece on President McKinley, part of @inpursuitusa.bsky.social We can learn quite a bit about leadership and character from the look at Presidents and First Ladies.
4186
Reposted by Ken Burns
UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
On this day in 1941, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak came to an end. Eighty-five years later, no one has come close to breaking his record. Watch our clip from @kenlburns.bsky.social's BASEBALL.
2185
Reposted by Ken Burns
Retro Report @retroreport.org · 02/07/2026
1/ Documentary filmmaker @kenlburns.bsky.social reflects on Franklin Roosevelt’s leadership during historical challenges like the Great Depression and WWII in this short by Retro Report, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social, for @pbs.org.
13211
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I read the Declaration of Independence aloud to my family every Fourth of July. Its words were written by imperfect men, but they remain central to understanding who we are and who we hope to become.
76913
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
We are devastated by the sudden loss of Gordon Wood. Known to many as one of the foremost scholars on the American Revolution, Gordon was also a teacher of generations of students and other historians who, like him, help us better understand who we are as a country and a people.
412620
Reposted by Ken Burns
In Pursuit USA @inpursuitusa.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
President Barack Obama (@barackobama.bsky.social) writes about Abraham Lincoln and what held the Union together when everything was working to pull it apart.
46528
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
I’m looking forward to joining @jamestalarico.bsky.social for a conversation about American history, public service, and the responsibilities of citizenship. Hope you can join us on Monday, June 8.
25619
Reposted by Ken Burns
UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
UNUM on the Road continued in late February as @kenlburns.bsky.social and co-director Sarah Botstein brought America's story to the @britishlibrary.bsky.social They don't entirely agree on how it goes. It's a long film.
4284
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
As we think about President Lincoln on what would have been his 217th birthday, let’s listen to, and be inspired by, his words. Each generation is asked to preserve and extend the ideas of freedom and democracy.
07220
Reposted by Ken Burns
In Pursuit USA @inpursuitusa.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
We are officially less than one week away from the launch of In Pursuit, a landmark initiative celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. Our Substack will serve as a digital home for a year-long exploration of leadership, character, and the American Experiment.
12311
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Some thoughts arranged in a poem that @theatlantic.com very graciously published.
1433
Reposted by Ken Burns
In Pursuit USA @inpursuitusa.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Colleen Shogan writes in The Free Press about where American democracy still works: in the everyday cooperation happening in schools, taverns, libraries, and neighborhoods across the country.
3189
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
We're sharing materials with Colleges/Universities to have screenings on campuses and discussions about our country's founding. Then join us for a live virtual Campus Conversation about The American Revolution on 11/19. @historians.org @aacu.org @pbs.org Materials are here: shorturl.at/1qlka
3122082
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
And now a word from the Oval Office....
2130174
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Had a good time at the Reagan Library discussing the American Revolution with Fred Ryan.
119120
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Excited to be speaking at The Atlantic Festival this September! Join The Atlantic for three days of conversations, screenings, book talks, and more. Passes and more info available at theatlanticfestival.com. #TheAtlanticFestival
theatlanticfestival.com
The Atlantic Festival 2025
46714
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Support public media.
614565
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
I’ll be in Dallas on June 3 for a special screening of clips from our new film, The American Revolution, at the Winspear Opera House with KERA. Join me, Sarah Botstein, and Jane Kamensky for a conversation after the film. Tickets and info here: attpac.org/event/the-am...
attpac.org
The American Revolution - A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein & David Schmidt - AT&T Performing Arts Center
37217
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Very proud of PBS Paula Kerger and the entire system - the public broadcasting service www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/b...
nytimes.com
Can She Keep PBS on the Air?
17734148
Reposted by Ken Burns
UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
80 years ago today, Nazi Germany surrendered. Across Europe, the war ended, but across the world, it didn’t. Hear from @kenlburns.bsky.social and explore our new playlists, now on KenBurnsUNUM.com
36222
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Defying the Nazis, a 2016 film I made with Artemis Joukowsky, tells the story of an American couple that risked their lives to rescue imperiled Jews and refugees fleeing Nazi Europe. It's streaming now on PBS. Check it out: www.pbs.org/kenburns/def...
pbs.org
Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War | Ken Burns | PBS | Watch Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War | Ken Burns | PBS
Join an American couple's courageous mission in 1939 to help refugees escape Nazi-occupied Europe. Over the course of two years, the pair will risk their lives so that hundreds can live in freedom. A ...
39233
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Some thoughts about public media and America at 250 that Paula Kerger and I shared with @thehill.com #publicmedia @pbs.org thehill.com/opinion/cong...
thehill.com
2448
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
@NH4Ukraine has been delivering critical, wholesale humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s hardest-hit regions since 2022. 100% volunteer-run, minimal overhead, maximum impact. Learn more & support at www.NH4Ukraine.org<http://www.nh4ukraine.org/> #Ukraine #HumanitarianAid
26019
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the start of the war this week, we're sharing the first clip from our upcoming film, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, which premieres in Nov on @pbs.org. I can't wait to share this film with the world. #AmericanRevolutionPBS
1313939
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
We are kicking off #UnumOntheRoad. Check out our first stop at West Point.
46811
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Join @historians.org and @icivics.bsky.social tonight for a conversation about teaching American history and the 250th anniversary of US. Info here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us02web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: America 250 and the Landscape of History Education. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
In this Civic Learning Week event, Sarah Weicksel (Director of Research and Publications, and incoming Executive Director, American Historical Association) will moderate a conversation with iCivics Ch...
54615
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Our next film, The American Revolution, will air on @pbs.org starting 11/16. Leading up to the broadcast, we'll have a national conversation about this important event and how it helped define us as a people - and changed the world. More info is here: www.pbs.org/kenburns/the...
pbs.org
The American Revolution | Coming Fall 2025 | PBS
The American Revolution, a landmark documentary by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, is coming Fall 2025.
1623451
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
If you’re at the AHA meeting in NYC tonight hope you can join our session on the American Revolution. #AHA25 aha.confex.com/aha/2025/web...
aha.confex.com
138th Annual Meeting (January 3-6, 2025): Plenary: <em>The American Revolution</em>—A New Film Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, Written by Geoffrey Ward
813219
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
4588
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
It's one thing to read a story about yourself, and then you get to listen to it too. I hope you have a chance to listen. Link below in the story.
57911
Reposted by Ken Burns
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 28/11/2024
The award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns has slept in the same bedroom for over four decades. He credits his home with allowing him to make the films everyone said he couldn’t.
nytimes.com
The Land That Allowed Ken Burns to ‘Raise the Dead’
The award-winning filmmaker has slept in the same bedroom for over four decades. He credits his home with allowing him to make the films everyone said he couldn’t.
1972656
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Happy Thanksgiving.
510014
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Place is important to who I am as a person and filmmaker. It's foundational to how we function, the very idea of home. Rukmini Callimachi has shared a piece about mine timed to Leonardo da Vinci, streaming on PBS. Wishing everyone the best for Thanksgiving: www.nytimes.com/2024/11/27/r...
nytimes.com
The Land That Allowed Ken Burns to ‘Raise the Dead’
The award-winning filmmaker has slept in the same bedroom for over four decades. He credits his home with allowing him to make the films everyone said he couldn’t.
411212
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Hope you had a chance to watch Leonardo da Vinci. Will be streaming on PBS. Curious about what's next? Our origin story. It's worth talking about. Take a look.
3326525
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Hope you have a chance to watch our film about Leonardo da Vinci 11/18 and 11/19 on PBS. You can find his impact in remarkable places, including among some highly accomplished foot doctors. www.amny.com/news/foot-do...
amny.com
A Foot Doctor Who Learned at a Renaissance Man’s Knee | amNewYork
BY PAUL SCHINDLER | Successful professionals, when asked what inspired their interest and passion for their field of endeavor, will often recall a favorite
3137458
Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Figured this could be a nice way to get started on @bsky.app Take a look at our @unumkenburns.bsky.social post below and our #UNUMChats about Leonardo da Vinci. Film airs Monday and Tuesday on PBS and will also stream on all PBS platforms.
1616833