Summer is almost upon us and that means the excellent POV series on public television. I have mentioned POV a lot in the two years I have been writing this blog because the programming is excellent, they pay their filmmakers fairly (yes, this still impresses me) and it means millions of viewers tuning in to see some of the wonderful films that might not otherwise have such a big audience.

The 2008 series launches on June 24 with Katrina Browne’s Traces of the Trade. Her film was a part of the IFP Market the year that I was there, and I am curious to see how it turned out. It follows Katrina and members of her family as they explore their family background in the slave trade. Titles and dates (All programs air Tuesdays at 10 p.m., unless otherwise indicated; check local listings.):

June 24 Traces of the Trade by Katrina Browne
July 1 Election Day by Katy Chevigny
July 8 The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández by Kieran Fitzgerald
July 15 The Last Conquistador by John J. Valadez and Cristina Ibarra
July 22 9 Star Hotel by Ido Haar
July 29 Campaign by Kazuhiro Soda
Aug. 5 Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music by Robert Elfstrom
Aug. 12 Belarusian Waltz by Andrzej Fidyk
Aug. 19 The Judge and the General by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco
Aug. 26 Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball by Kenneth Eng (Encore)
Sept. 2 Lomax the Songhunter by Rogier Kappers (Encore)
Sept. 9 Freedom Machines by Jamie Stobie and Janet Cole (Encore)
Sept. 23 Calavera Highway by Renee Tajima-Pena and Evangeline Griego
Sept. 30 Critical Condition by Roger Weisberg (9 p.m. Special)
Oct. 7 In the Family by Joanna Rudnick
Oct. 14 Up the Yangtze by Yung Chang
Oct. 21 Soldiers of Conscience by Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg
December (date TBA) Inheritance by James Moll (9 p.m. Special)