Public Preview of Ken Burns’: “The American Revolution” (FREE EVENT)
March 25 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Public Preview of Ken Burns’: “The American Revolution” (FREE EVENT)
UPDATE 3/25/25: Due to the possibility of inclement weather this evening, the time of the Ken Burns screening on Colonial Williamsburg’s Palace Green has been moved from 8 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Colonial Williamsburg is closely monitoring weather conditions in the area throughout the day. Schedule changes will be communicated to guests who registered for the event via VA250’s event page as well as through social media channels maintained by Colonial Williamsburg, check www.facebook.com/ColonialWilliamsburg for updates.
Join Ken Burns and his co-directors Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt on March 25 at 7:30 p.m. on the lawn of the historic Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area as he speaks to his latest project prior to previewing excerpts from the film on an outdoor screen. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. And there will be fireworks at 8:15 pm!
Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns is giving the Historic Triangle a sneak peek at his newest documentary, The American Revolution (airing on PBS on November 16). This free public preview event takes place March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in front of the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Burns will kick off the event, hosted by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250), with live remarks about the project before previewing excerpts from the film on an outdoor screen.
“It’s a thrill to share the film with Virginians, especially in Colonial Williamsburg, which appears many times in our film,” said Ken Burns. “As the capital city of Virginia, Williamsburg played a critical role on the road to revolution and around 250 years later, it was an essential resource and filming location for us to capture the look and feel of colonial life.”
Joining Burns at the event will be co-directors and producers Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. Schmidt, who grew up in the Williamsburg area and worked at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as a volunteer youth interpreter and member of the iconic Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums, will also speak at the event.
“Colonial Williamsburg is very special to me, and I’m grateful for this full-circle moment to bring our film back home, to this extraordinary place that inspired my love for history,” said David Schmidt. “CW also means a lot to our film. As filmmakers, we’ve been fortunate to find natural partners in The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which shares a mission with us to bring our shared history to as many people as possible.”
Filming for The American Revolution, which has been in production for eight years,took place in over 100 locations across the nation, but nowhere did the filmmakers shoot more footage than in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize Colonial Williamsburg landmarks including Raleigh Tavern, the grounds of the Governor’s Palace, the Capitol, the blacksmith shop and nearly 20 additional Colonial Williamsburg locations.
Previews of The American Revolution in Richmond and in Williamsburg will kick off a series of screenings and associated events being held across the country leading up to the premiere of the six-part, 12-hour documentary series on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 8-10 p.m. ET on PBS. The preview event in Williamsburg is the first public screening offered free of charge to the public.
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Virginia American Revolution 250 Commemoration – VA250 will host a free public preview of famed filmmaker Ken Burns’ newest documentary: “The American Revolution,” on March 25.
