The Aspen Institute

Featuring a discussion with Florentine Films documentarians Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein on the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century, and how this struggle tested the ideals of our democracy, the topic of their new film with Ken Burns premiering on PBS in September. The discussion will include scenes from the upcoming documentary and a special virtual appearance by Ken Burns. Moderated by Vivian Schiller, Executive Director of Aspen Digital at the Aspen Institute.
Live event, Paepcke Auditorium

Fee: $30. Tickets on sale Friday, July 15 at www.aspenshowtix.com, or in person at the Wheeler Opera House box office.

Important Note
All attendees at Aspen Institute in-person events will be required to show they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or if they are exempt from this requirement, take an on-site COVID-19 rapid test and show a negative result before entry. For questions, please email acp@aspeninstitute.org.

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Sarah Botstein has for more than two decades produced some of the most popular and acclaimed documentaries on PBS. Her work, in collaboration with directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, includes Hemingway (2020), College Behind Bars (2019), The Vietnam War (2017), Prohibition (2011), The War (2007) and Jazz (2001). In addition to the television broadcasts, Botstein works on digital and education initiatives, in collaboration with PBS Learning Media and WETA-TV. She also helps to produce and curate content for Ken Burns UNUM, a web-based platform designed to highlight active themes in American History. The application utilizes scenes from over 40 different Ken Burns films and encourages users to embrace the relevance of history in our contemporary time. Botstein is a graduate of Barnard College/Columbia University with a degree in American Studies.

Lynn Novick has been directing and producing landmark documentary films about American life and culture, history, politics, sports, art, architecture, literature, and music for more than 30 years. The 80 hours of acclaimed PBS programming she has created in collaboration with Ken Burns have garnered 19 Emmy nominations. One of the most respected documentary filmmakers and story tellers in America, Novick herself has received Emmy, Peabody and Alfred I. duPont Columbia Awards. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale with honors in American Studies, and lives in New York City.

Vivian Schiller joined the Aspen Institute in January 2020 as Executive Director of Aspen Digital, which empowers policymakers, civic organizations, companies, and the public to be responsible stewards of technology and media in the service of an informed, just, and equitable world. A longtime executive at the intersection of journalism, media and technology, Schiller has held executive roles at some of the most respected media organizations in the world. Those include: President and CEO of NPR; Global Chair of News at Twitter; General Manager of NYTimes.com; Chief Digital Officer of NBC News; Chief of the Discovery Times Channel, a joint venture of The New York Times and Discovery Communications; and Head of CNN documentary and long form divisions. Documentaries and series produced under her auspices earned multiple honors, including three Peabody Awards, four Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards, and dozens of Emmys. Schiller is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; and a Director of the Scott Trust, which owns The Guardian.

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