National Geographic Announces Companion Pieces to Bookend April 30 Network Premiere of Los Angeles Riots Feature Documentary LA 92
Special Program, RIOT, and Facebook Live Aftershow Provide Firsthand Accounts of the Los Angeles Riots as Well as Examine the History and Future of Human Rights Protests
Civil Rights Lawyer Connie Rice, Former LAPD Detective Tom Lange and Former Los Angeles Time Columnist Sandy Banks Among RIOT Interviewees
Soledad O’Brien to Moderate LA 92 Facebook Live Aftershow
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the heels of the recent announcement that National Geographic Documentary Films’ television debut for LA 92 — an archival footage-focused look back at the controversial Rodney King trial and subsequent protests, violence and looting of Los Angeles — was set for Sunday, April 30, 2017 at 9/8c, National Geographic announced two companion pieces. RIOT, a one-hour special airing the day before LA 92 on Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 9/8c, will provide firsthand accounts of the events in Los Angeles in April 1992 by those who lived it, helping also to shed light on the evolution and future of human protest. The LA 92 Facebook Live Aftershow, moderated by acclaimed journalist Soledad O’Brien and featuring key LA riot eyewitnesses, will take place Sunday, April 30, at 11/10c, on National Geographic Television’s Facebook page.
In 1992, Los Angeles erupted in turmoil. The frustration between African-American citizens and the Los Angeles Police Department reached a tipping point with the acquittal of four officers who had been caught on tape using what the public deemed excessive force. Riots that reflected this public outrage ensued. Although at their core these riots were a protest for equality, this meaning was lost in the destruction and chaos. RIOT will feature stories from and interviews with key eyewitnesses and spokespeople who can provide insight into the city’s race relations and how the city made it to the “point of no return”: from world-renowned graffiti artist Kelly Graval (aka RISK) and hip-hop star Rakaa from Dilated Peoples to former LAPD Detective Tom Lange, civil rights lawyer Connie Rice and LA Times columnist Sandy Banks.
Psychologist Abigail Marsh and sociologists Fran Buntman and Antwan Jones will use history and biology to examine why some people demonstrate their frustrations in the form of a riot while others use organized protest. With human rights issues consistently making headlines and social media giving every citizen public forums in which to share his or her opinions, these experts will attempt to answer the looming question: Are we on the precipice of more disastrous riots in the future?
Immediately following LA 92’s premiere, National Geographic will host a Facebook Live aftershow on National Geographic Channel’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/natgeotvUS). Moderated by O’Brien, the program will include such guests as Congresswoman Karen Ruth Bass of California’s 37th Congressional District; Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope (a civil rights group based in south LA); Christafire Lundy, a resident of south LA; Hyepin Im, president & CEO of Faith and Community Empowerment; Karen Slade, Vice President/General Manager of KJLH Radio; and longtime Los Angeles journalist Bob Brill.
The Facebook Live will stream from multiple locations in south Los Angeles and Koreatown. Viewers will have the opportunity to engage in the discussion, ask questions of the panelists and comment in real time.
LA 92 is produced by Lightbox’s two-time Academy Award winner Simon Chinn (“Man on Wire”) and Emmy winner Jonathan Chinn (“American High”) with Academy Award-winning directors Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin (“Undefeated”), and featuring original music from Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans (“OA,” “Enemy”).
For more information on LA 92, visit natgeotvpressroom.com or natgeotv.com/la92.
About National Geographic Documentary Films:
National Geographic Documentary Films is committed to bringing the world premium, feature documentaries that cover timely, provocative and globally relevant stories from the very best documentary filmmakers in the world. National Geographic Documentary Films is a division of National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 129 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching over 730 million people around the world in 171 countries and 45 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Starfish Media Group:
STARFISH MEDIA GROUP (SMG) is a leading multi-platform media and content production and distribution company founded by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien in 2013. As newsroom-trained storytellers, the SMG team creates character-driven content that explores critical social issues like race, class, wealth, opportunity and poverty through the personal stories of people who faced these obstacles firsthand. SMG and O’Brien report and produce series, documentaries, digital content, live events and filmed entertainment including the highly acclaimed ‘Black in America’ and 'Latino in America' series, originated by O’Brien when she was an anchor at CNN. Currently, O’Brien also anchors the Heart TV political magazine show "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien," and reports for HBO’s ‘Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,’ the PBS NewsHour and WebMD.
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