East Tennessee PBS hosted a preview screening of “Homegoings” last week. The documentary about African-American funeral traditions will air tonight on East Tennessee PBS and most other PBS stations.
PBS has built a website for the show that an educator could use to teach a class on death. Topics include the economics of the funeral industry and funeral traditions in other cultures, including Irish and Jewish. A 16-minute interview with filmmaker Christine Turner is also on the site and is worth watching.
Viewers post their own comments on discussion pages dedicated to questions such as “why are people uncomfortable talking about death” and “what role can social media take in the grieving process?”
“Homegoings” tells the story of Isaiah Owens, who grew up in South Carolina and now owns Owens Funeral Home in New York City. The film has gotten excellent reviews from The Washington Post, the New York Daily News and others.
Watch Homegoings – Trailer on PBS. See more from POV.
