RFK In the Land of Apartheid 

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."   

- Robert F. Kennedy  

Producer:  Shoreline Productions 

Distributor:  PBS/NPS 

We are proud to offer you RFK In the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope for your summer schedule. Its PBS/NPS premiere is August 22, 2011, 10 pm (ET). 

Covering a portion of the Kennedy legacy that is often forgotten, the one-hour documentary tells the little-known story of Robert F. Kennedy's inspirational June 1966 visit to South Africa during the worst years of Apartheid. Featuring never before seen archival footage and interviews in the US and South Africa, RFK In the Land of Apartheid is both a unique portrait of Senator Kennedy two years prior to his assassination and a window into critical periods of South African and American history.

The impact Robert Kennedy and South Africa had on each other was profound. Kennedy's visit gave South African opponents of Apartheid tremendous hope and courage at a time when they felt isolated and few in the outside world knew what was happening in South Africa. It also highlighted the parallels between the fight against racism in South Africa and here in the US, where Martin Luther King, Jr., linked the struggle for Civil Rights with the fight against Apartheid.

RFK In the Land of Apartheid follows Kennedy in South Africa during his visit, including to the site of his famous "Day of Affirmation" speech at the University of Cape Town on June 6, 1966. This speech is generally considered to be the greatest speech of RFK's life. One paragraph is among the most quoted and appears at Kennedy's gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery:

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

RFK In the Land of Apartheid includes RFK's meeting with a forgotten giant of South African history, banned President of the African National Congress and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Luthuli, who was banned and forced to live in a remote rural area. It also features interviews with those who accompanied or met Kennedy on his trip, as well as with Edward Kennedy, and an original soundtrack by award-winning American musician Jason Moran.  

Ethel Kennedy praised producer Larry Shore on RFK In the Land of Apartheid in a letter that states, in part, "The amazing film you and Tami made about the trip to South Africa in 1966 sparked many wonderful memories.  I love that with the airing of "RFK in the Land of Apartheid" you inspire new generations with the story of that historic visit." (Read letters at http://reisenbergpresents.com/14185/205401.html)

The companion website, http://www.rfksafilm.org, includes details about the film and extensive background materials related to Kennedy's visit to South Africa, as well as teaching guides for both high school and college classes.

RFK In the Land of Apartheid tells a powerful story through the words and actions of an American icon whose legacy continues to inspire the cause of human rights around the world.

RFK In the Land of Apartheid is produced by Shoreline Productions and distributed for broadcast by PBS/NPS. Larry Shore is producer and Tami Gold & Larry Shore are the directors. Underwritten by Ford Foundation, Rockefeller, Kover Foundation and Mai Family Foundation, local underwriting is permitted.  

Please contact me if you have questions. I'll be in touch with you about your continuing carriage plans during the next months. A fact sheet follows.

Very truly yours,

Regina

Regina Eisenberg 

R Eisenberg Presents

Fact Sheet

 

RFK In the Land of Apartheid   

Program Summary:

RFK In the Land of Apartheid tells the little-known story of Robert Kennedy's  inspirational June 1966 visit to South Africa during the worst years of Apartheid and the connections between the struggle for racial justice in the US and South Africa.    

Parts/Length:

1/60

RIGHTS:

Broadcast Rights: 4Releases/3 Years

From August 22, 2011 -  August 21, 2014   

VOD: 1 Month 

Non-Commercial Cable: Yes

School Re-Record: 1 Year   

NOLA CODE:  

PBS Premiere:   

August 22, 2011, 10 pm ET

Audio/Visual:

Stereo/Closed Captioned

TV Rating:

TV-PG

Producer:

Shoreline Productions

Producer: Larry Shore

Directors:  Tami Gold & Larry Shore   

Broadcast Distributor:

PBS/NPS   

Underwriters:

Ford Foundation

Rockefeller Foundation

Kovler Foundation

Mai Family Foundation 

Local Underwriting:

Local underwriting is permissible.     

View Program Now at:

Companion DVD:

www.videoproject.com

Websites: 

www.rfksafilm.org 

www.videoproject.com 

www.pbs.org/   

www.reisenbergpresents.com 

CONTACTS:

Station Relations & DVD Screener:

Regina Eisenberg

R Eisenberg Presents

regina@stationrelations.com 

510.550.1706

Publicity & Promotion:

Jessica Hammond
jessica@videoproject.com
415-981-9710    

Photo downloads: https://www.box.net/shared/kj7khc665n

Trailer for embedding: http://vimeo.com/24735759

Viewers:

Larry Shore

rfksa@optimum.net

Reviews:

-Anthony Lewis, former New York Times reporter and op-ed columnist.

"As someone who was personally involved in and effected by Robert Kennedy's visit to South Africa, I can attest to the authenticity of the film. It is a terrific documentary, full of interest and variety, wonderfully paced, and scattered with fascinating nuggets of information and flashes of humor and pathos. It really captures the visit, the man, the place, and the time."

- Ian Robertson, former President, National Union of South African Students, 1966

"It's a fantastic story, and you tell it with great insight and delicacy. The intertwining of the SA and USA stories was done that way too -- gently suggestive, without being overdone. Kennedy came through beautifully, and I think we saw how, if it was a life-changing event for many South Africans, it was too for him."

- Professor Stephen Clingman (South African-American),

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Sheds extraordinary light on a strangely underdocumented chapter of apartheid's struggle years: the 1966 visit by United States senator Robert Kennedy. Drawing comparisons between the US civil rights movement and South Africa's struggle for freedom, the film tells how a visit by one man energised the struggle in the middle of one of the most oppressive periods of apartheid."

- Mail Guardian, South Africa