Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, PBS will make the full series of Ken Burns' "The American Revolution" available to stream for free from May 25 through July 12, 2026, with additional broadcasts on PBS stations on July 3 and July 4. Through support for this project, the Foundation helps advance public understanding of history and expand access to high-quality educational storytelling. The series invites audiences to engage with the people, events, and ideas that shaped the American Revolution and continue to shape the United States today.
The 2026 Gettysburg Film Festival brought national attention to the nation’s founding, convening historians, filmmakers, military leaders, authors, and performers for three days of films, discussions, and live events that explored the American Revolution and the enduring questions of liberty, self-governance, and national unity. With more than 8,000 tickets sold in advance and strong attendance across venues, the weekend reflected deep public engagement with history and its continued relevance in American civic life. Across the festival, conversations returned to the complexity of the country’s founding, the human dimensions of leadership and sacrifice, and the importance of participating actively in democracy. Appearances by Ken Burns, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Rick Atkinson, Susan Eisenhower, Jeff Shaara, Chris Mackowski, and members of the original cast of Hamilton underscored the festival’s role as a vibrant forum for historical reflection, public dialogue, and cultural exchange. The Blavatnik Family Foundation is proud to support Ken Burns, The Better Angels Society, and the Gettysburg Film Festival.
The Gettysburg Film Festival is set to return on April 4 with a focus on the American Revolution to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary, featuring a star-studded lineup and a special star-spangled banner. Launched in 2023 by award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns, Burns returns to Gettysburg to share selections from his new series, ''The American Revolution," and lead conversations about the 250th anniversary. Among the conversations and events in 2026, the festival will feature several members of the original Broadway cast of the hit musical "Hamilton," including Phillipa Soo, who played Eliza Hamilton, Christopher Jackson, who played George Washington, and Okieriete Onaodowan, who played Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. Additional conversations will feature discussions with historians and policy experts, such as Susan Eisenhower, the CEO of the Eisenhower Group and granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower; and retired United States Army General Stanley McChrystal, who led the Joint Special Operations Command from 2003 to 2008. The Foundation is a long time supporter of Ken Burns and the Gettysburg Film Festival.
The Gettysburg Film Festival will return from April 2–4, 2026, with a program marking the United States’ 250th anniversary through film, conversation, and live performance. Set in Gettysburg, the festival will use this historic setting to reflect on the nation’s Revolutionary beginnings and the ideas of liberty and self-government that emerged from that period. This year’s events will be headlined by Ken Burns, who will share selections from his documentary series, The American Revolution, and join discussions with filmmakers, actors, historians, authors, and public figures. In addition to ticketed programs, the festival will offer public events, including a colonial encampment presented with the American Battlefield Trust, featuring living historians and hands-on activities. Hosted by Gettysburg History and the American Battlefield Trust, the festival continues to create accessible ways for audiences to engage with American history on screen and in person. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has been a longtime supporter of The Better Angels Society, a sponsor of the festival.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns recently kicked off the Ringling College of Art and Design’s TOWN HALL Speaker Series in Sarasota, sharing insights into several upcoming projects, including work on LBJ and the Great Society, Emancipation to Exodus, and a history of the CIA. Burns emphasized the power of storytelling to deepen public understanding of history, a mission that aligns with the Better Angels Society, a nonprofit that supports excellence in American history documentaries and civic engagement, including work associated with Burns. The Blavatnik Family Foundation is proud to support Ken Burns and the Better Angels Society in its efforts to broaden access to meaningful historical narratives that educate and connect audiences across generations.
The Financial Times' Andrew Jack sits down with Ken Burns to talk about the filmmaker's six-part documentary series, The American Revolution, which revisits the nation’s founding with rigor, nuance, and a commitment to historical accuracy, challenging simplified narratives in favor of a more complex and inclusive account. Drawing on leading historians, the series explores divisions within colonial society, the experiences of Indigenous peoples and enslaved individuals, and the global significance of the revolution, underscoring Burns’s belief that “it’s complicated.” The Foundation is proud to have supported this documentary.
For the first time ever, PBS made its way into Nielsen’s top 10 streaming list, thanks to Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution” documentary series. As “The American Revolution” aired nightly on PBS from Nov. 16 to Nov. 21, the six-part documentary series logged 565 million minutes during the week of Nov. 17 across PBS and Prime Video, boosting the show to land as the No. 10 most-watched streaming acquired title.
President Trump’s threats to democracy have prompted a number of experts to warn that the United States is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. As the country grapples with how to move forward, David Leonhardt looks back to America’s founding, with the filmmaker Ken Burns. Burns’s upcoming documentary focuses on the Revolutionary War, and in this conversation he discusses the ideals of the country’s flawed founders, how he thinks about patriotism and what he says is the “greatest existential threat to the existence of the United States right now.”
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns joins Morning Joe to discuss his new docuseries, "The American Revolution," which will premiere on PBS on November 16, 2025. Burns, along with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, produced and directed the documentary. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has been a long-time supporter of Ken Burns and The Better Angels Society.
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The Blavatnik Archive is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving and disseminating materials that contribute to the study of 20th-century Jewish and world history, with a special emphasis on World War I, World War II, and Soviet Russia.
