The sequel to the award-winning Escape from Extinction introduces rewilding, a proven method for sustainable conservation that has the potential to bring back hundreds of thousands of species from the brink of extinction. Rewilding is a transformative conservation strategy that prioritizes the restoration of natural ecosystems by reintroducing native species – both plant and animal – particularly apex predators and keystone species. This innovative approach restores ecological balance and enhances biodiversity, while generating farther-reaching impacts, such as strengthening our local and global food systems, mitigating climate change, and offering significant socio-economic benefits to communities. Escape from Extinction Rewilding is a powerful and timely documentary that delves into this critical conservation practice. Narrated by Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, the film follows tireless conservation efforts of leading organizations implementing rewilding practices across a diverse array of species in equally diverse environments. Through compelling storytelling and breathtaking cinematography, the documentary showcases the tangible successes and ongoing challenges in the field of rewilding. It highlights how humanity, when armed with knowledge and compassion, can halt the decline of countless animal species and restore the environments we call home. Escape from Extinction Rewilding will be released in over 100 theaters nationwide on Thursday, September 27.

This documentary not only brings the importance of rewilding to the forefront but also emphasizes that you can’t protect what you don’t love, and you can’t love what you don’t know,” shared Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO of American Humane and the film’s executive producer. “At American Humane, we are profoundly thankful to Meryl for lending her voice to this critical story of survival, inspiring countless others to become advocates for animal welfare.

“The U.S. and the Holocaust”, a new three-part documentary directed and produced by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, explores America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history. The series will air September 18, 19 and 20, at 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video app. Inspired in part by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition and supported by its historical resources, the film examines the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, the eugenics movement in the United States and race laws in the American south. The series, written by Geoffrey Ward, sheds light on what the U.S. government and American people knew and did as the catastrophe unfolded in Europe. Narrated by Peter Coyote, voice actors in the film are: Adam Arkin, Sarah Botstein, Paul Corning, Hope Davis, Leon Dische Becker, Paul Giamatti, Mariusz Glabinski, Elliott Gould, Marlena Grzaslewicz, Murphy Guyer, Werner Herzog, Josh Lucas, Joe Morton, Carolyn McCormick, Liam Neeson, Matthew Rhys, Meryl Streep, Agate Was, Bradley Whitford and Helena Zengel. “The U.S. and the Holocaust” will be available to stream for free on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Meryl Streep is among the Hollywood stars nominated for best spoken word album at the 63rd Grammy Awards, revealed by the Recording Academy on Tuesday. The actress received a nod on Friday for her reading of E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. Among the other nominees are Ronan Farrow for his nonfiction thriller Catch and Kill, which explored the decades of sexual misconduct by imprisoned media mogul Harvey Weinstein, and Jeopardy veteran Ken Jennings for Alex Trebek — The Answer Is … Rachel Maddow is also nominated for Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry On Earth; while Flea is nominated for Acid for the Children: A Memoir. Nominees in the comedy album category include Tiffany Haddish for Black Mitzvah, Patton Oswalt for I Love Everything, Jerry Seinfeld for 23 Hours to Kill, Bill Burr for Paper Tiger and Jim Gaffigan for The Pale Tourist. Trevor Noah is hosting the Grammy Awards on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. on CBS. Many thanks to Glenn and Alvaro for the heads-up.

Ernest Hemingway, the iconic literary figure considered one of the greatest American writers and among the first to live and work at the treacherous nexus of art and celebrity, is the subject of an upcoming three-part, six-hour documentary series directed by award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick coming to PBS April 5-7, 2021 at 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings). The documentary paints an intimate picture of Hemingway the writer – who captured on paper the complexities of the human condition in spare and profound prose, and whose work remains deeply influential around the world – while also penetrating the myth of Hemingway the man’s man to reveal a deeply troubled and ultimately tragic figure. The film also explores Hemingway’s limitations and biases as an artist and a man of his time. “Hemingway is both an intimate, turbulent family saga and an examination of some of the greatest works of American literature in the 20th century,” said director Ken Burns. “The documentary attempts to show how flawed our assumptions about Ernest Hemingway and his writing have been. At the same time, we are unsparing in our inquiry into less well-known aspects of his character and writing. Our intent is to offer viewers an honest portrayal of a complex and conflicted writer who left an indelible mark on literature.” Narrated by long-time collaborator Peter Coyote, the series features an all-star cast of actors bringing Hemingway (voiced by Jeff Daniels), his friends and family vividly to life. Through letters to and from his four wives – voiced by Meryl Streep, Keri Russell, Mary Louise Parker and Patricia Clarkson – the film reveals Hemingway at his most romantic and his most vulnerable, grappling at times with insecurity, anxiety and existential loneliness. In three two-hour episodes, “Hemingway” tracks the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the author who, in his final years, suffered from chronic alcoholism, serious mental illness, traumatic brain injuries and depression. In 1961, at the age of 61, Hemingway died by suicide, leaving behind an unparalleled body of artistic work and a complicated emotional legacy for those closest to him.

On March 10th at 4pm, WHQR will be broadcasting “A Change of World”, which tells the story of how poets who were swept up in the Women’s Movement of the 1960s and 70s radically changed American poetry. As poet Alicia Ostriker says, “For the first time in the history of writing, which is about 4000 years or so, women could write without fear, without constantly looking over their shoulder to see if they were going to be approved of by men.” How did this come about? Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” was a primary catalyst of The Women’s Movement. In poetry, it was Sylvia Plath’s posthumous book “Ariel,” which electrified a generation of women poets. We’ll hear from Plath herself and from women poets who were coming up during the 1960s. We’ll also hear about the radical sexual and psychological candor of Plath’s friend, Anne Sexton. By the 1970s women poets were publishing a huge variety of poetry that simply was not imaginable a decade earlier. Yet they still didn’t have mainstream literary approval. When Adrienne Rich won the National Book Award for Poetry in 1974, she accepted on behalf of her fellow nominees Audre Lorde and Alice Walker. This was a watershed moment. As Honor Moore says, :It was shocking. Feminism had no standing in the culture. It was courageous in the sense that none of these three poets would ever be accepted or considered in the same way again.” In the face of continuing sexism in the literary establishment, women poets began forming their own informal communities, with readings, magazines, bookstores, workshops and mentorships. We’ll hear about this movement from poets who participated, like Sharon Olds, Judy Grahn, Sonia Sanchez, Susan Griffin, as well as archival audio from some of the leading poets of the time. You can listen to the programme in its entirety on the Poetry Foundation’s official website. Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up.

According to Digital Spy, Peter Dinklage, Meryl Streep and Queer Eye’s Fab Five will lend their voices to Audible Original comedy show “Heads Will Roll”, a new workplace comedy. The show is created by Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon alongside sister Emily Lynne. It focuses on an evil queen who strives for peace and quiet, though is forced to take action when her reign is threatened by a peasant uprising. Queen Mortuana and her ditsy raven sidekick JoJo must then find the prophesied Shard of Acquiescence to crush the rebellion. Alongside Dinklage and Streep, the show will include the voices of Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen, Tim Gunn, Andrea Martin, Carol Kane, Audra McDonald, Aidy Bryant, Alex Moffat, Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd, Steve Higgins and Esther Perel. “Audible is committed to creating extraordinary, top-quality original audio content through thoughtful collaboration with leading innovators, creators and actors,” said David Blum, Editor in Chief of Audible Originals. “We are delighted to work with Broadway Video, masters of creative storytelling and comedy, to create this completely unexpected and genre-defying entertainment.” Dinklage and Streep shared a stage together in 2005 for the Charlie Kaufman’s stage production “Theater of the New Ear”. A premiere date has not been announced yet. Many thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

In honor of the centennial of women being granted the right to vote in New York, the New-York Historical Society will screen the Meryl Streep-narrated documentary We Rise. The short film, which also features Alicia Keys’ original song “We Are Here,” tells the story of the women who fought for change in the U.S. during the early 20th century. The doc will profile many women of the era, including suffragist and black women’s organizations leader Addie Hunton, Henry Street Settlement founder Lillian Ward and birth control activist Margaret Sanger, to name a few.

“We are proud to celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage in New York this year with a powerful new film and exhibition, each one showing how a determined group of people struggling for rights and equality can succeed in creating change,” NYHS CEO and president Dr. Louise Mirrer said Wednesday in a statement. “We Rise recounts a period of history that tends to be overlooked in textbooks, but the impact of those first decades of the 20th century leading up to women’s suffrage in New York is still felt today.” The film will premiere Nov. 3, the same day as the opening of the society’s latest exhibit, Hotbed. The exhibit will feature the bohemian vibe of Greenwich Village in the early 20th century and will explain the pivotal role female artists and activists played in earning the right to vote. We Rise will play on rotation with the film New York Story in the historical society’s ground-floor theater. Many thanks to Frank and Glenn for the heads-up.

Without any advance publicity or notice, The Weinstein Company quietly slipped the Chinese animated feature The Guardian Brothers onto Netflix last Friday. It was originally released on January 1, 2016, in China as Little Door Gods, marking the debut production of Beijing’s Light Chaser Animation. The ambitious production aimed to lift the quality of Chinese cg animation and push it closer to Western standards. Weinstein’s English version added a cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Edward Norton, Mel Brooks, Dan Fogler, Mike Birbiglia, Bella Thorne, and Randall Park. Rooted in the traditions of Chinese folklore, Guardian Brothers follows two guardian spirits – Yu Lei (Norton) and Shen Tu (Fogler) – who venture out of spirit-world retirement to help a mother and daughter whose restaurant is being sabotaged by a competitor. The Weinstein Company released Guardian Brothers through its new kids’ label Mizchief. It also has another animated film, Leap!, currently in U.S. theaters through the label. Netflix has made the film available in a total of 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, Mexico, U.K., New Zealand, India, Philippines, and Russia. The above trailer also features interviews Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Edward Norton. Many thanks to Alvaro for the heads-up.

Meryl Streep is among a host of celebrity narrators on Sheila Nevin’s “You Don’t Look Your Age: And Other Fairy Tales”. The famed documentary producer and President of HBO Documentary Films for over 30 years, Nevins has rightfully been credited with creating the documentary rebirth) finally steps out from behind the camera and takes her place front and center. In the spoken version of her book, you will hear about the real life challenges of being a woman in a man’s world, what it means to be a working mother, what it’s like to be an older woman in a youth-obsessed culture, the sometimes changing, often sweet truth about marriages, what being a feminist really means, and that you are in good company if your adult children don’t return your phone calls. Among the powerhouse voices are Cynthia Adler, Alan Alda, Bob Balaban, Christine Baranski, Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Katie Couric, John Henry Cox, Blythe Danner, Lena Dunham, Edie Falco, Tovah Feldshuh, Diane von Furstenberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Diane Lane, Sandra Lee, Judith Light, Jenna Lyons, Audra McDonald, Janet Mock, Sheila Nevins, Rosie O’Donnell, Jean Richards, RuPaul, Liz Smith, Lesley Stahl, Gloria Steinem, Martha Stewart, Meryl Streep, Marlo Thomas, Lily Tomlin, and Gloria Vanderbilt. “You Don’t Look Your Age: And Other Fairy Tales” will be released on May 2 by Macmillan Audio and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.

Macmillan Audio has re-released its William Steig collection as a new audio edition. Three of the children stories – “Brave Irene”, “The Amazing Bone” and “Spinky Sulks” – are narrated by Meryl Streep. These are not new recordings as all stories have appeared on the 2007 “The One and Only Shrek” already, but in case you haven’t heard these lovely readings yet, head over to Amazon. Thanks to Frank for the heads-up. Also, there hasn’t been a proper mention of “The Testament of Mary” yet, which is also read by Meryl and was released earlier this year. To learn more, visit its career page, which features an audio excerpt as well.