P.O.V. Kicks Off 24th Season with Kings of Pastry

The acclaimed documentary series starts Tuesday, June 21 on PBS with the American broadcast premiere of Kings of Pastry.

As the Independent Lens hangover wears off, another documentary series on PBS kicks off in high gear. P.O.V. opens its 24^th season with a mouth-watering premiere of Kings of Pastry by filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker — who set their sights on the competition for the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, that country's Nobel Prize for pastry.

In Kings of Pastry, 16 chefs — including Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of Chicago's French Pastry School — whip up the most delectable concoctions and high drama as they deliver their spun-sugar desserts to the display table. The inevitable disasters and successes prove both poignant and hilarious. Here is a clip from the film…

Join a live chat with the filmmakers and Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 2pm ET.

Find more features from the film and series on P.O.V.’s blog. ITVS is also thrilled to have supported eight films included in P.O.V.’s lineup this season. 

Take a look at those documentaries below and join us in congratulating the filmmakers and their work! 

• The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith • My Perestroika, by Robin Hessman 

• The Oath, by Laura Poitras 

• Better This World, by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway 

• If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front by Marshall Curry 

• The Learning, by Ramona Diaz 

• Last Train Home, by Lixin Fan 

• Where Soldiers Come From, by Heather Courtney